| This dissertation investigates why and how various policy actors have engaged in the strategic planning process in the Afghan Ministry of Education (MOE) since 2005. A theoretical framework that underscores six main reasons why organizations participate in strategic planning has been applied to this research. Additionally, this study attempts to understand and explain the strategic planning process insofar as it can lead to national ownership over policy items particularly in a fragile state and fragmented aid context. The data gathered and analyzed for this study included the following: a document analysis of governmental strategic plans, a document analysis of program documents of donors, MOE, UN bodies and civil society actors and, lastly, 45 interviews conducted with different policy actors involved in the policy-making process with the MOE over the last decade. Use of a ranking instrument accompanied the interview data.;Findings revealed that most policy actors have participated in the policy-making process for the purposes of communication and control---communication meaning in order to solicit or offer funding and control meaning as to which priority programs gain attention and/or funding. In an international development context, findings revealed that actors other than the host organization tend to participate in the strategic planning process for the purposes of local capacity building and for alignment and harmonization with other policy actors involved in the process. In addition, findings show that while donors have converged in terms of international indicators to be included in the strategic plan, "donor logic" (a phenomenon in which donors are recognized as carrying particular agendas to the policy-making arena) plays a large factor in what programming is advocated for in the planning processes.;Other findings revealed that despite a participatory policy-making process several factors have impacted the strategic planning process---the existence of parallel systems within and outside the MOE, a Kabul-centric planning process, unpredictable funding and little or no reliable data that informs the process. As a result, the level of national ownership that exists or is possible to exist is questionable. |
