B. Integration to address heterogeneous demand
2. Vertical integration: strengthening coordination
In terms of vertical integration, CTPs have established budgetary procedures and rules for resource transferral to different management levels and have defined shared responsibilities and specific functions and powers, making them a valuable asset for developing a comprehensive system such as the one proposed in this book.
A noteworthy example is Bolsa Família (see box V.2), owing to the importance accorded by the programme to decentralized management and the creation of voluntary “agreed decentralization” mechanisms that abide by the constitutional principle of autonomous organization of States and municipalities (Cunha, 2009). Another example worthy of note is Solidarity Chile, which has grown and developed steadily from a single nationwide, centrally implemented model of programme supply management to a social protection system that can be reproduced effectively at local level (Salinas, 2007). To do this, it had to define strict responsibilities and develop appropriate skills and competencies at the different levels to ensure that each level supports the one immediately following it (Toro, 2009).
Box V.2
VERTICAL INTEGRATION IN BRAZIL’S BOLSA FAMÍLIA PROGRAMME From the outset, Bolsa Família has operated on the basis of administrative decentralization between Brazil’s central Government and municipalities (Hevia, 2009b), with a number of mechanisms being established to enhance the programme’s implementation at national, federal, State and municipal levels. The programme regulations (Decree No. 5209 of 17 September 2004) stipulate that its implementation and management require the combined efforts of the various levels of government, as well as a cross-sector approach, social oversight and transparency. To this end, working agreements were signed with Brazilian municipalities without political distinction, in order to prevent bias in the allocation of benefits. As regards transparency mechanisms, it was decided to reorganize the single register for social programmes (CadÚnico) and hand over its administration to an independent financial institution (Hevia, 2009b).
With regard to decentralization, the municipalities are directly responsible for managing the programme and CadÚnico locally. Each municipal government must elect the programme manager in charge of identifying and registering beneficiary families. In turn, the municipal managers must ensure that families are provided with proper support and that they comply with the conditionalities (MDS, 2010), in addition to linking the supply of health and education services and coordinating the relevant intersectoral relationships and accompanying measures to expand the supply of social policies and programmes for beneficiary families. Managers can also manage benefits directly (freezing, unfreezing, payment and refunds) through a benefit-
management system, and play a key programme oversight role through the intermediary of social oversight bodies. For all these reasons, municipal managers are key players in implementing Bolsa Família and in vertical
coordination of the supply of social protection programmes.
With regard to promoting the programme’s decentralized and transparent operation, a further two areas are crucial to vertical integration of Bolsa
Família supply: funding; and management and evaluation.
With regard to funding and the commitment to State management of
Bolsa Família, individual agreements were signed between the central
Government, States and municipal governments. The Bipartite Interagency Commission (Comissão Intergestores Bipartite, CIB/SC) is a representation and coordination body of States and municipalities set up specifically to conclude agreements on the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS). The Commission promotes the conclusion of agreements on implementation and operation of the programme, the adoption of criteria for State co-financing of social assistance services developed by States and municipalities and the establishment of Social Assistance Referral Centres (CRAS).
Furthermore, in 2006 the programme began to use the Decentralized Management Index (IGD), a support mechanism for managing social programmes and assessing the quality of municipal management of Bolsa
Família (MDS, 2010). The IGD varies between 0 and 1 and was constructed
on the basis of four variables, each with a 25% weighting: (i) quality of the information contained in CadÚnico; (ii) periodic updating of CadÚnico (at least every two years); (iii) verification of compliance with education conditionalities (school attendance); and (iv) attendance of health checks. The IGD makes it possible to assess: compliance with the conditionalities at local level; support work with Bolsa Família beneficiary families; registration of new families (based on continuous data updating); and implementation and potential incorporation of new programmes into existing ones (Guimarães, Nogueira and Magalhães, 2008).
The IGD results are used to calculate monthly transfers to be paid by the Ministry for Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS) to municipalities with a minimum compliance score of 0.4, which have been authorized for municipal management of social assistance and have signed up to Bolsa Família (Guimarães, Nogueira and Magalhães, 2008, p. 10). Thus
the index is applied using a performance-based management approach.
Source: F. Hevia, “Mecanismos de participación ciudadana y control social en los programas de transferencia condicionada de renta en México y Brasil, un análisis comparado”, Revista crítica de ciencias sociales y jurídicas, vol. 2, No. 22, 2009; “Relaciones directas o mediadas? Participación ciudadana y control social en el programa
Bolsa Familia”, Brasilia, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth [online] http://www.
ipc-undp.org/mds.do?active=3, 2009; A. Guimarães, M. Nogueira and R. Magalhães, “A intersetorialidade no programa Bolsa Família: reflexões a partir de uma experiência local”, National School of Public Health (ENSP)/FIOCRUZ [online] http://www.ipc-undp.org/ publications/mds/25M.pdf, 2008; Ministry for Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS) “Gestão municipal”, http://www.mds. gov.br/bolsafamilia/gestaodescentralizada/ tipos-de-gestao/gestao-municipal/gestao- municipal, 2010; Guia para acompanhamento das condicionalidades do programa Bolsa Família, Brasilia, 2008 and C. Mesquita, “Programa
Bolsa Família”, paper presented at the international seminar ”Sistemas de proteção social:
desafios no contexto latinoamericano”, Brasilia, 8-11 December [online] http://www.mds. gov.br/sites/seminariointernacional/sites/seminariointernacional/programacao, 2009. Box V.2 (concluded)