Strengthening Deliberative Bodies IQC: Quarterly Report Number 19

The report is prepared by Chemonics International Inc. in association with several partners, including The Urban Institute, State Legislative Leaders Foundation, and Center for Democracy and Election Management. The primary objective of the IQC is to build the capability of USAID to strengthen legislative bodies at various levels of government, with a focus on promoting accountability, transparency, and pluralism. The Chemonics consortium includes several research groups and organizations that contribute to the IQC's objectives. During the reporting period, Chemonics staff successfully closed out the Technical Leadership in Legislative Strengthening (TLTS) task order, which aimed to produce research and analysis on selected themes in legislative strengthening. The task order included several deliverables, including a reference paper, data entry, and workshops. The "Strengthening Deliberative Bodies Reference Paper" was presented at the Legislative Strengthening Conference on October 31, 2016, and presented eight case studies addressing various topics, including cross-sectoral strengthening programs and accountability and transparency. The report also highlights the consortium's management and administrative issues, with no outstanding concerns reported. Additionally, there are no new programmatic trends or unresolved administrative/bureaucratic constraints to performance to report. The TLTS task order was designed to produce research and analysis on selected themes in legislative strengthening, with the goal of contributing to USAID's overall legislative program analysis and retrospective study. The findings from this task order will be used to shape USAID's future engagement with legislatures in governance and other sectors of programming. The primary audiences for these papers will be USAID staff in Washington and field missions who design and manage governance programs, as well as development practitioners and academics through publications and events. The consortium continues to address the individual and collective concerns of its members, with no major issues arising during the reporting period. The LS IQC Project Management Unit remains focused on addressing the needs of its consortium members and ensuring the successful implementation of the IQC's objectives.