ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT 68. The CSAR notes that several projects were implemented in the late 1990s to enhance transparency and effectiveness in public administration, the legislature and monetary and fiscal administration. Key efforts include the National Institutional Renewal Programme (1994), Civil Service Performance Improvement Programme (1996), Public Sector Management Reform Programme (1999), Public Financial Management Reform Programme (1999) and the National Governance Project (1997). These programmes have had mixed results. Failure in achieving appropriate transparency and effectiveness has been due to inadequate political commitment and time-frames for implementation. 69. The surveys indicated that the workings of Parliament, the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning are becoming more transparent, while the workings of Customs, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS), local government and the judiciary are rated as having made the least improvement in transparency. Ratings for effectiveness and predictability in performance are highest for the Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Parliament, the VAT Secretariat and the Internal Revenue Service, in that order. The perception of effectiveness is lowest for CEPS, the judiciary, local government and public administration. ii. Findings of the CRM 70. The discussions on the transparency, effectiveness and predictability of government economic policies proceeded along the lines of the CSAR: ? ? ? Actions that would make public administration, legal and legislative systems, and the fiscal authorities work effectively in a transparent manner; Measures for making economic policies predictable; and Challenges that the country faces in promoting cooperation and coordination. 71. A recurring theme of stakeholders outside the public sector was that too often public information is unavailable on: (a) current policy thinking; (b) the workings and plans of important role-players in the public sector; (c) the state of implementation of development plans; and (d) reforms, including those intended to improve effectiveness and transparency in public administration and the fiscal sphere. The CEPS, judiciary, local government and public administration in general are thought to need a major overhaul in the way they work, to improve both their effectiveness and transparency. 67