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Project

Delivery of public services in ethnic minority states: Gender equality and decentralization in Myanmar
 

Myanmar
Project ID
108739
Total Funding
CAD 427,849.00
IDRC Officer
Edgard Rodriguez
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Jacques Bertrand
Canada

Summary

In 2017, to sustain Myanmar’s democratic transition, IDRC and Global Affairs Canada launched an initiative, Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar, to nurture meaningful engagement and promote economic growth that benefits women and men, regardless of ethnicity.Read more

In 2017, to sustain Myanmar’s democratic transition, IDRC and Global Affairs Canada launched an initiative, Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar, to nurture meaningful engagement and promote economic growth that benefits women and men, regardless of ethnicity. Working with other development partners, the initiative targets diverse and complementary entry points to strengthen analytical thinking and research capacity through capacity development for individuals, including emerging researchers, civil society, and policy makers. It also targets engagement and collaboration, through roundtables, conferences, workshops, and other forms of policy dialogue, and capacity development for institutions, providing support for think tanks and government. Finally, the initiative provides funding for research projects on the topics of inclusive democratic governance and economic development.

This project will examine the factors that affect the delivery of public services (education, health, and security) in five ethnic minority states in Myanmar (Kayin, Kachin, Magway, Rakhine, and Chin), which represent Myanmar’s diverse ethnic composition. It will also examine factors that affect conflict resolution. It will look at ways to improve the coverage and quality of these services in a more inclusive and decentralized Myanmar. In particular, the project will address the new fiscal and administrative state-level powers to provide education, health and security under the current decentralization initiative, and whether they use a gender-sensitive approach; the strategic deployment of resources and personnel to address women’s concerns and set priorities for reform, especially within the security sector; and local communities’ expectations in education, health and security, with a focus to identify gender-specific priorities of men and women.

Project leaders and staff from the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs (Asia Centre) and the newly-created Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security (MIPS) will collaborate in the design and implementation of the research in all five Myanmar states. An explicit objective of this partnership is to develop the analytical capacity of MIPS as a new research centre in the country.

Research outputs

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Brief
Language:

English

Summary

Since political reforms in 2011, the Myanmar government health expenditures have increased almost tenfold (2011-2017), reaching 4.2 percent of its total budget. While impressive, the amount still falls below global and regional standards. This paper argues that despite these efforts, problems related to governance and decentralization hampered the process. It concludes that both community and service providers acknowledge health system improvement, although with regional and ethnic group variations. Government health service was the main service provider especially for rural populations. Community providers point to the barriers in access to specialist health services in emergency scenarios, as well as travel distance barriers.

Author(s)
Myat, Pan Hmone
Brief
Language:

English

Summary

Along with democratic reforms started in 2011, police sector decentralization moved towards being a more gender and ethnic sensitive institution. Drawing on a survey, focus group discussions, and in-depth key informant interviews undertaken in Chin, Kayin, Kachin and Magway, the paper investigates effects of police force decentralization on service delivery performance in these four regions. Findings reveal that the police sector is only partially decentralized, and state governments have limited capability to manage police sectors even under limited decentralization. Challenges include resource and capacity constraints, political instability, and armed conflicts in the regions.

Author(s)
Min, Zaw Oo
Paper
Language:

English

Summary

The study looks at public perceptions towards public service delivery on health, education and security. Kachin State was selected to understand how the breakdown of ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independent Army (KIA) impacted people’s opinion on security. (Note that since publication the coup d’état, February 1, 2021, has severely halted Myanmar’s fragile democratisation). Kayin state was chosen to reflect how the ongoing ceasefire shaped public opinion on security; Chin state was selected because it was one of the least developed ethnic states. Magway provided the control case as it was a Burman-dominant state, not directly affected by armed conflict.

Author(s)
Min Zaw Oo
Articles de revue
Language:

French

Summary
Author(s)
Park, Jae
Paper
Language:

English

Summary

Ethnic minority grievances will not go away, whether under a military dominated regime or eventually a renewed democratic one. Education, particularly as a vehicle for cultural and linguistic preservation will remain key for ethnic minority groups. This article draws on data from a survey conducted in 2018, as well as interviews in Chin, Kachin, and Karen states between 2016-2020. The survey reports on ethnic minority perceptions of the education received, particularly in terms of language of education as well as acquisition of local language and culture.

Author(s)
Bertrand, Jacques
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About the partnership

Partnership(s)

Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar