Our advisory services cover Capacity building, Analytical work, and Development assistance mechanisms.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 - 

Capacity Building

Capacity building is much more than training. In assisting our clients to build capacity our associates always have in mind the following:                                                                                                                                                                                

• Human resource development: the process of equipping individuals with the understanding, skills and access to information, knowledge and training that enables them to perform better.
• Organisational development: the elaboration of management structures, processes and procedures, not only within organisations but also the management of relationships between the different organisations and sectors.
• Institutional and legal framework development: making legal and regulatory changes to enable organisations, institutions and agencies at all levels and in all sectors to enhance their capacities.

Analytical work

We cover a whole range of research, evaluations, reviews and appraisals in the sectors of our expertise. Our associates have experience in conducting training needs analysis, identification and feasibility studies, as well as designing project interventions and budget support programmes for donor institutions and recipient governments.

Our associates are experienced in the principle methodological tools used in development assistance.  One such characteristic tool is the Project Cycle Management and Logical Framework approach. Our associates involved in Public Financial Management are versed in the Public Expenditure Financial and Accountability (PEFA) framework and performance measurement mechanisms.

Development assistance mechanisms

We have extensive experience with rules and administrative processes of the majority of the European Commission development assistance programmes. Through our network of associates we have acquired substantial experience in the procedures of many other donors and international organisations such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF and the African Development Bank.

It is very difficult to describe in words the contribution of Perran Penrose over the 40 years of work as development economist and practitioner. Perran has had an impact on all facets of development work.

As a practitioner he was advisor to governments in several countries around the globe, managed two consultancy groups, worked in senior positions for NGOs as well as served on NGO boards.

His contribution to knowledge and intellectual discourse was as remarkable. Perran designed courses for, and taught in, distinguished academic institutions such as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the Dubai School of Government, the Maastricht Graduate School of Government, the National Chenchi University in Taipei, the Centre of Financial Management Studies (CeFiMS) in the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, for which he directed short executive courses, including the Budget Reform Executive Programme and wrote the CeFiMS distance learning module for the MSc degree in Public Finance Management. He had also been a Visiting Fellow in the University of East Anglia and an Associate of the Cambridge University Centre for International Business and Management in the Judge Management School. He designed innovative courses and tutored numerous executives in international agencies such as the European Commission, the Swedish International Development Agency and the African Development Bank.

What stood out above all was the combination of his personal and professional integrity and his incredible charisma as a mentor and teacher. We at 4Assist had the benefit and privilege to have known him. He was our mentor and advisor, always enthusiastic to help and advise us on every aspect of our work.

We shall miss Perran greatly but we shall always be driven by his guidance and ideas that will never be forgotten.

4Assist is a network of professionals committed to the provision of quality consulting and advisory services in the field of development assistance. 

We operate through a well established and growing international network of associates, with expertise in different fields. 

Our goal is to strengthen and enhance collaboration and exchange of experiences between our associate experts and establish a knowledge management platform within our network.

To date, we have worked extensively in the following thematic areas:

•     Economic Development
•     Public Financial Management
•     Debt Management and Financial Markets 
•     Public Administration
•     Agriculture and Rural Development
•     Social Protection
•     Education

In addition to our technical expertise we have substantial experience in all principal  delivery methods used by donor institutions:

•     Sector and General Budget Support Programmes
•     Sector Policy Support Programmes (SPSP) & Sector Wide Assistance Programmes (SWAPs)
•     Conventional Project Management approaches
•     Technical Assistance

We have active presence in the former Soviet Union countries of Central Asia, Caucasus and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

This section is intended to disseminate information on important readings coming out of academia and professional circles. Our associates use this area both to recommend and to gain information on interesting articles in the respective fields.

Our associates recommend the following readings:

• Allen, Richard and Tommasi, Daniel “Managing Public Expenditure, A Reference Book for Transition Countries”, OECD 2001.
• Barrientos, Armando and Shepherd, Andrew (2003) “Chronic Poverty and Social Protection”, Paper prepared for presentation at the CPRC Conference on Chronic Poverty, University of Manchester.
• Devereux, Stephen and Sabates-Wheeler, Rachel (2004), “Transformative social Protection”, Institute of Development Studies, Working Paper 232.
• Easterly, William (2008, edited by), “Reinventing Foreign Aid”, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Easterly, William (1999), “Fiscal Illusion: Taking the Bite Out of Budget Cuts” Economic Policy.
• Flynn, Suzanne and Pessoa, Mario (2014), "Prevention and Management of Government Arrears", IMF  (http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=41672.0).
• Lienert, Ian and Fainboim, Israel (2010), "Reforming Budget System Laws", IMF (http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/tnm/2010/tnm1001.pdf).
• Parry, Michael. (2005), “Accrual Accounting for National Governments”, Public Fund Digest, vol.5 No 2 August 2005 (Washington D.C.: International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management).
• Penrose, Perran (2008), “European Commission Budget Support Programmes: Nature, Dialogue and Design”.
  
• Schick, Allen (2003), “The Performing State: Reflection on an idea whose time has come but whose implementation has not”, OECD Journal on Budgeting – Volume 3, no. 2, pp. 71-103.
• Schick, Allen. (1998), “Why most developing countries should not try New Zealand’s reforms”, The World Bank Research Observer, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 123-31.
• Sedrakyan, Gnel and Hadziyiannakis, Yiannis (2012), "EU Budget Support: Why is it important for Moldova?", Moldovan Economic Trends No. 8 (Q IV) 2012, pp. 88-96 (http://www.euhlpam.org/resources).
• Timmer, Peter (2004), “Food Security and Economic Growth: An Asian Perspective”, Centre for Global Policy, Working Paper Number 51.
• Wynne, Andy (2004), “Is the move to Accrual based accounting a real priority for public sector accounting?” ACCA.

If you have any readings to suggest please contact us by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).