Other Public Sector Study

315 items available

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2206

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Nigeria - Employment and Growth Study

(World Bank, 2009-11-13) World Bank

Since 1999, Nigeria has made significant progress in economic reform. Sound macroeconomic policies, combined with structural reforms aimed at increasing the supply responsiveness of the economy, ushered in sustained high growth, driven by the non-oil economy. The goal of this book is to shed light on the extent to which Nigeria's much improved economic performance has impacted the labor market, and to develop a growth strategy that could enhance the employment intensity of growth. The report consists of six chapters. Chapter one provides an overview of the book's main findings, reviews Nigeria's growth performance from 2001 to 2007, and addresses the question of the sustainability of that growth performance. Chapter two analyzes the evolution of the labor market since 1999. The analysis focuses on the share of the formal and informal sectors in employment; the development of incomes; and the unemployment rate. Chapter three addresses the question of what Nigeria could do to increase the availability of quality jobs and reduce rising youth unemployment. Chapters four discusses Nigeria's policy and investment environment. Chapter five proposes strategies for skills development; and Chapter six analyzes the effects of restrictive trade policies.
Kenya - Economic Development, Police Oversight, and Accountability : Linkages and Reform Issues

(World Bank, 2009-09-16) World Bank

The objective of this study is to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on police reform in Kenya, where poor police services are eroding the state's capacity to protect people and property, thereby limiting the country's efforts in relation to economic development and poverty reduction. Five years after launching a series of programs and pilot projects to improve police performance, the government of Kenya concluded that the reform program achieved only limited success: the country is continuing to experience high levels of crime and inter-ethnic violence and other insecurity concerns. Since 2003, reforms have focused on addressing the chronic lack of public confidence in the police and the persistence of corruption at all levels of the police force. Many of the reforms have been aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and expanding institutional capacity, especially by rehabilitating premises and purchasing vehicles. Despite these efforts, the force continues to be seriously weakened by structural dysfunction and extremely limited capacity, which are at the center of the most serious governance problems facing Kenya, namely, large-scale corruption, high levels of crime, and interethnic violence. This study supplements the Kenyan experience by drawing on police reform research and experiences from Latin America and elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Guinea - Decentralization in Guinea : Strengthening Accountability for Better Service Delivery

(Washington, DC, 2008-09) World Bank

The purpose of this report is to present reform options for the implementation of the new code that would strengthen accountability in service delivery. The report is structured as follows: chapter one discusses how decentralization can be an effective tool for improving service delivery and local governance. Chapter two assesses progress in fiscal, administrative and political decentralization, scrutinizes their impact on accountability relationships and makes recommendations to further decentralization, in line the new code. Chapter three analyses current arrangements for service delivery in two sectors (water and education), maps out strengths and weaknesses of existing accountability relationships and makes recommendations, drawing on existing innovative practices in Guinea and/or the region. Chapter four offers recommendations to manage change and maintain the momentum for reform. Chapter five concludes with an outlook.
Darfur - Dimensions of Challenge for Development : Background Volume

(Washington, DC, 2007-06-29) World Bank

This background volume is not about the recent conflict, nor the humanitarian situation in Darfur today. Rather, it adopts a longer term perspective in an attempt to understand the range of underlying structural obstacles to growth and prosperity in the region. The World Bank, in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, has investigated the nature and extent of the underlying structural obstacles to the region's development. This background volume presents the results of the work of several teams, drawing on primary and secondary sources and field work undertaken in the latter half of 2006. The aim is to help re-establish a knowledge base across multiple dimensions, to inform future development planning oriented toward broad-based growth and attainment of the millennium development goals. The report provides a diagnosis of existing constraints: the basic thesis is that redressing marginalization is central to effectively overcome the challenges to peace and prosperity in the region, and thus in the Sudan overall. The immense challenges facing Darfur reflect not only the immediate conflict, but a series of major structural factors that can be traced back over decades. Of foremast importance is the failure of national policies and development projects to promote broad-based development and good governance. Geographic and demographic factors, in particular increasing desertification, periodic droughts and rapid population growth - have exemplified the, challenges, but the underlying failure of institutions to function in ways that are accountable to the people, and conducive to pro-poor development, plays a critical explanatory role.
Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa

(Washington, DC, 2007-06-22) World Bank

This report assesses the potential gains from regionalized telecommunications policy in West Africa. The report seeks to assist officials in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) and member states in designing an effective regional regulatory process. To this end, the report: (i) discusses how regional cooperation can overcome national limits in technical expertise, can enhance the capacity of countries credibly to commit to stable regulatory policy, and ultimately can facilitate infrastructure investment in the region; (ii) identifies trade-distorting regulations that inhibit opportunities for regional trade and economic development, and so are good candidates for regional trade negotiations to reduce indirect trade barriers; and (iii) describes substantive elements of a harmonized regional regulatory policy that can deliver immediate performance benefits.
Nigeria - Lagos State : States Finances Review and Agenda for Action

(Washington, DC, 2007-05-30) World Bank

This study on Nigeria Lagos State, states finances review and agenda for action reviews Lagos State's fiscal performance in recent years, highlight the main risks that may affect the fiscal outlook in the medium term, and help the Lagos State Government (LASG) develop an agenda for deepening the reforms in key aspects of public finance management (PFM) and service delivery, based on further analytical work. The quality of information has unfortunately been a constraint in this study. It affected the ability of the study team to make relevant observations and policy recommendations, in particular on the expenditure side. The data limitation also suggests that the first priorities for the government in PFM reform should be extending the coverage of the budget, improving the classification system, and reporting revenues and expenditures accurately and transparently.
Somalia Joint Needs Assessment : Macroeconomic Policy Framework and Data Development Cluster Report

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-08) World Bank ; United Nations

Since 1991, the Somali economy has suffered from droughts, the absence of government, and local conflicts. Unlike the 1970s and 1980s when most of the output of the small industrial sector and many services were provided by the public sector, there has been significant (but unmeasured) private investment in commercial ventures, including in trade and marketing; money transfer services; transport; communications; airlines; telecommunications; other services including construction and hotels; education and health; and fishery equipment. In regard to the macroeconomic policy framework, the short to medium-term objectives are to: establish and maintain macroeconomic stability; develop a stable currency and a sound and growing public revenues base; establish core civil service institutions along with accountable budgetary processes, public finance management, and revenue systems; and reestablish financial services. In addition, it is important to establish data systems to secure the data needed to monitor social and economic developments and to inform sound policy and institutional development.
Madagascar : Decentralization

(Washington, DC, 2003-11-05) World Bank

The objective of this decentralization study is to provide analysis and policy advice to the new Malagasy government on how to proceed with the decentralization strategy it inherited from the previous government. The end of the post-crisis emergency recovery period creates the opportunity to correct the weaknesses of the previous strategy while building on the exiting achievements. The paper specifically aims to (i) analyze the institutional and fiscal context of decentralization and (ii) present the resulting challenges for service delivery and financing - with a particular focus on local governments. Benefiting from primary data from several hundred local governments, this study aims at proving recommendations of how to improve the functioning of communes in considering the institutional and fiscal parameters. The report is organized into four chapters, including the Introduction, which explain the political, institutional, and fiscal determinants that have been influencing Madagascar's decentralization process, and which will continue to do so in the future. Chapter 2 provides the political and institutional background needed to better understand the decentralization context of today. The chapter analyzes the historical forces of centralization, which date back to pre-colonial times and translate into today's dominant role of the central government administration. The chapter then takes a closer look at the existing administrative set-up to explain functions and responsibilities at different levels of government. To this end, it looks at the regulatory gaps and inconsistencies in the legal framework, the parallelism between decentralized and deconcentrated layers, and the emerging role of inter- communal associations and informal regional planning bodies. Based on the concept of the sub-national fiscal gap, chapter 3 analyzes structural constraints to fiscal decentralization in Madagascar, and in particular the dominance of revenue items which cannot be decentralized. Given the l o w degree of fiscal decentralization, the chapter takes a closer look at expenditure deconcentration and provides a more in-depth analysis of deconcentration in the health and education sectors. The last part of the chapter evaluates Madagascar's intergovernmental transfers, which represent the most important source of local government financing. Communes are the lowest and institutionally most advanced level of sub-national government in Madagascar. They are also the main focus of this study. The fourth chapter describes the institutional dynamics at the local level to provide the ground for a thorough analysis of local government finance. The chapter provides an estimate of local needs, and analyzes revenue and expenditure patterns based on budget data of a large sample of rural communes.
Sierra Leone : Strategic Options for Public Sector Reform

(Washington, DC, 2003-08-05) World Bank

The purpose of this paper is to outline strategic options for the reform of the public sector. The strategic options will be based upon an analysis of the public sector emerging from the civil war, and a longer period of deterioration and decline. The strategy will be expressed in very broad-brush form; detailed planning will only be possible once the basic strategic decisions have been taken. Years of corrupt, and ineffective government, causing - as well as compounded by - civil war, have left Sierra Leone with poor access to basic services, especially outside Freetown, with substantial dependence on NGOs. Expenditure management is weak; there is no effective accountability; human capacity is weak throughout the public service; and, the management of policy, and programs is highly centralized in Freetown, and in the Office of the President, and the Ministry of Finance. Nonetheless, there is now a strong consensus in favor of reforming the policy process, expenditure management, and accountability. And, there is an ever stronger determination to decentralize the delivery of basic services. The "options" concern the rate of decentralization. But, there is little worldwide experience to suggest that rapid devolution can work in terms of improving service delivery. Sierra Leone will need to be creative about the capacity issue: capacity does not have to be produced by the public sector, but capacity existing elsewhere can be effectively utilized by the public sector. So the recommended option is to act aggressively to build capacity to support the soon-to-be newly elected local councils. And to be sure to allocate the funds needed to support their responsibilities for basic service delivery, which would be expanded as the councils demonstrate their capacity to perform.
The United Republic of Tanzania : Decentralisation Sector Work

(Washington, DC, 2001-05-04) World Bank

The primary objectives of the Tanzania Decentralization Sector Work (DSW) are: To develop a strategic analysis of the decentralization process in Tanzania, commonly known as the Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP); and on this basis, to formulate proposals regarding a) the orientation of the World Bank towards the LGRP and the modalities of the Bank's potential involvement in the Programme, and b) appropriate responses by the Bank at the project level in those sectors affected by the LGRP. The DSW is intended to enhance the Bank's understanding of developments in the decentralization theme area and to optimize Bank decision-making regarding its involvement here. It also aims to assist the Bank in structuring its projects such that the impact of the decentralization process is taken into proper account.