Working paper: Supporting public financial management in conflict-affected situations

This paper traces the introduction of public financial management (PFM) processes and systems in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since they came under the control of its current government, the Palestinian Authority (PA). A number of factors combined make for an extremely challenging context for external actors to catalyse change – these include: non-existent formal central government functions at the time the PA was established, major restrictions in the movement of goods and people, ill-designed donor budget support, and a very asymmetric distribution of power between the PA and the Israeli government that favours the status quo.