The results of the impact assessment conducted in Kirov oblast in 2010 and 2013 demonstrated improved population satisfaction in the quality of local social services; increased confidence in all levels of government; and improved transparency of spending of local funds (a majority of the population in LISP participating territories claimed confidence in the transparency of local budget spending). Moreover, the vast majority of the population (90 percent) believes that the problems solved under LISP were “important” or “very important.”
All the participating regions have moved from pilot LISP activities to full-fledged program implementation. Kirov LISP financing was increased by 15 times (from 2010 to 2013), Tver LISP by 2.5 times (from 2013 to 2014), and Stavropol LISP by 2 times (from 2009 to 2013).
Bank Group Contribution
The budgets of full-fledged regional LISPs vary from rub 60–300 million (US$1.5–9 million), annually allocated from regional budgets. The World Bank provides technical assistance on a reimbursable advisory services basis.
Partners
LISP is implemented by regional ministries to help strengthen local capacity. Given its multisectoral nature, a wide range of agencies are involved, from the ministries of social protection (in Kirov oblast) to the ministries of economic development (in Khabarovsk krai), the ministries of finance (in Tver oblast and Stavropol krai), and the ministries of territorial development (Nizhegorodskaya oblast).
In 2009–10, the Bank closely collaborated with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) on the implementation of the pilot programs in Stavropol krai and Kirov oblast, as well as other preparatory activities. DFID, through a World Bank-supported Trust Fund amounting to approximately US$930,000, financed the baseline survey, capacity-building efforts, and training.
Moving Forward
Successful implementation of LISP in the pilot regions has resulted in a huge and growing demand for LISP and corresponding Bank services in other regions in the Russian Federation, and has also generated an interest to LISP at the federal level. LISP was included in various federal strategic policy documents, including the “Strategy for the Socio-Economic Development of the North Caucasus Federal Okrug until 2025” and the Federal Targeted Program “On the Sustainable Development of Rural Territories until 2020.”