Other Public Sector Study
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Publication
Zambia Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Diagnostic: Narrowing the Gap between Policy and Practice
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06)Access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services remains stubbornly low in Zambia. This poor record on WSS service delivery is disastrous for Zambia’s economy by negatively affecting human capital development, which in turn creates a drag on the economy. Successive governments in Zambia have recognized this important sector of the economy and launched reforms and investment programs. Successive governments in Zambia have recognized this important sector of the economy and launched reforms and investment programs. This analysis shows that Zambia’s chronically inefficient water utilities are creating a fiscal burden and making it harder for the government to finance the sector. The rest of the report is organized as follows: Chapter 2 provides an analysis of the strategic relevance of the WSS programs to Zambia’s economy, drawing on existing literature on the economic impacts of WSS and analysis of a sample of projects in both programs. Chapter 3 analyzes the extent to which the programs are structured to deliver desired results, focusing on the design and prioritization of investments, implementation arrangements, and monitoring and evaluation. Chapter 4 provides an analysis of the expenditure framework for both programs and the extent to which it supports efficient program implementation. Chapter 5 summarizes opportunities that exist to enhance the effectiveness and impact of both programs and makes recommendations on medium-term actions to advance Zambia’s WSS sector and narrow the gap between policy and practice. -
Publication
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: Evaluation of MDGs Specific Purpose Grant to Regions
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03-29)Ethiopia is a highly decentralized country. Presently, sub-national government taxes and revenues account for about 28 percent of general taxes and revenues, and sub-national expenditures amount to 51 percent of general government expenditures. The ensuing vertical mismatch is bridged by grants from the Federal government to the regions. Presently, these grants account for 57 percent of sub-national expenditures1. For many years, these grants consisted mostly of a block grant (the Federal General Purpose Grant) given without any strings attached, which means the regions could use it as they wished. The rest of the report is organized as follows. Section two provides the policy context that is the information, data, evolutions, etc. specific to Ethiopia, which are necessary to understand and interpret the MDGs grant policy. Section three present and discusses the policy content that is the components of the policy previously identified. Section four is a policy assessment, which utilizes the evaluation framework proposed above to analyze the relationships between the various components of the policy, and discuss its efficiency, its effectiveness and its success. Section five is a conclusion that summarizes the analysis, and attempts, prudently and modestly, to outline some potential avenues for future action. -
Publication
Kenya Devolution Working Paper Series: Summary Overview
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2015-02)Kenya has embarked on a highly ambitious decentralization that seeks to fundamentally change the relationship between government and citizens under the 2010 Constitution. The Constitution seeks to shift government from centralized to decentralized, and from "top-down" to "bottom-up". The Constitution and new legal framework place a strong emphasis on strengthening public participation. Strengthening public participation and governance is a core element in Kenya's strategy to accelerate growth and address long-standing inequalities in economic opportunities, investment, and service delivery in different parts of the country. -
Publication
Land Governance in South Sudan : Policies for Peace and Development
(Washington, DC, 2014-05)South Sudan is a new country of 10.5 million people that has just emerged from conflict and still facing challenges with recovery and development. Although economic disparities, political exclusion and deprivation in the distribution of political and economic power between the northern and southern parts of then united Sudan were often tendered as the proximal causes of the conflict, at the center of the prolonged civil war was the struggle for ownership, control and use of land resources. The tool underpinning this report is the Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF), a diagnostic instrument for rapid evaluation of various aspects of land governance. LGAF was developed through a collaborative effort between the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Habitat, International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the African Union (AU). -
Publication
Devolution without Disruption: Pathways to a Successful New Kenya
(World Bank, Nairobi, 2012-11)Kenya's new constitution marks a critical juncture in the nation's history. It is widely perceived, by Kenyans from all walks of life, as a new beginning. Indeed, many feel that post- independence Kenya has been characterized by centralization of political and economic power in the hands of a few, resulting in an uneven and unfair distribution of resources and corresponding access to social services; the opposite of an inclusive state. Born of the political opportunity created by the 2008 post-election violence, the constitution finally adopted, after almost a decade of unsuccessful reform attempts, presages far-reaching changes. Its vision encompasses a dramatic transformation of the Kenyan state through new accountable and transparent institutions, inclusive approaches to government and a firm focus on equitable service delivery for all Kenyans through the newly established county governments. Devolution is at the heart of the new constitution and a key vehicle for addressing spatial inequities. A more decentralized government makes eminent sense, given Kenya's diversity and experience with political use of central power. Decentralization has been increasingly seen and adopted worldwide as a guarantee against discretionary use of power by central elites as well as a way to enhance the efficiency of social service provision, by allowing for a closer match between public policies and the desires and needs of local constituencies. Kenya's constitution entrenches devolved government by guaranteeing a minimum unconditional transfer to counties under the new dispensation. The devolution train has already left the station: the challenge is to make sure it arrives at destination, safely and on time. The politics of devolution explain the high intensity of hopes and expectations that have been pinned to it. It also means there are high risks if they are disappointed. There are great opportunities and enormous challenges waiting for Kenya, in a critical election year, which will determine the fate of the country, politically and economically for years to come. This report takes a snapshot look at the critical issues facing Kenya's policy makers today. It does not argue for or against devolution (a decision that belongs solely to Kenyans), but presents suggestions and recommendations on how best to navigate the tough choices ahead. It's main focus in on helping Kenya manage a delicate transition. -
Publication
Service Delivery Indicators : Tanzania
(Washington, DC, 2012-04)The indicators, which were piloted in Tanzania, provide a set of metrics to benchmark the performance of schools and health clinics in Africa. The indicators can be used to track progress within and across countries over time, and aim to enhance active monitoring of service delivery to increase public accountability and good governance. The service delivery indicators project takes as its starting point the literature on how to boost education and health outcomes in developing countries. This literature shows robust evidence that the type of individuals attracted to specific tasks at different levels of the service delivery hierarchy, as well as the set of incentives they face to actually exert effort, are positively and significantly related to education and health outcomes. To evaluate the feasibility of the indicators, pilot surveys in primary education and health care were implemented in Tanzania in 2010. The results from the pilot studies demonstrate that the indicators methodology is capable of providing the necessary information to construct harmonized indicators on the quality of service delivery, as experienced by the citizen, using a single set of instruments at a single point of collection. This paper is structured as follows: section one gives introduction. Section two outlines the analytical underpinnings of the indicators and how they are categorized. Section three presents the methodology of the pilot surveys in Tanzania. The results from the pilot are presented and analyzed in section four. Section five presents results on education outcomes, as evidenced by student test scores. Section six discusses the advantages and disadvantages of collapsing the indicators into one score or index, and provides a method for doing so in case such an index is deemed appropriate. Section seven discusses lessons learned, trade-offs, and options for scaling up the project. -
Publication
Service Delivery Indicators : Senegal
(Washington, DC, 2012-04)The indicators, which were piloted in Senegal, provide a set of metrics to benchmark the performance of schools and health clinics in Africa. The indicators can be used to track progress within and across countries over time, and aim to enhance active monitoring of service delivery to increase public accountability and good governance. The service delivery indicators project takes as its starting point the literature on how to boost education and health outcomes in developing countries. This literature shows robust evidence that the type of individuals attracted to specific tasks at different levels of the service delivery hierarchy, as well as the set of incentives they face to actually exert effort, are positively and significantly related to education and health outcomes. To evaluate the feasibility of the indicators, pilot surveys in primary education and health care were implemented in Senegal in 2010. The results from the pilot studies demonstrate that the indicators methodology is capable of providing the necessary information to construct harmonized indicators on the quality of service delivery, as experienced by the citizen, using a single set of instruments at a single point of collection. This paper is structured as follows: section one gives introduction. Section two outlines the analytical underpinnings of the indicators and how they are categorized. Section three presents the methodology of the pilot surveys in Senegal. The results from the pilot are presented and analyzed in section four. Section five presents results on education outcomes, as evidenced by student test scores. Section six discusses the advantages and disadvantages of collapsing the indicators into one score or index, and provides a method for doing so in case such an index is deemed appropriate. Section seven discusses lessons learned, trade-offs, and options for scaling up the project. -
Publication
Accountability in Public Services in South Africa
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-03)This report discusses selected issues regarding accountability in public services. The introduction discusses the accountability framework that will be used for the report. Chapter 1 assesses South Africa's progress on service access and quality, and summarizes recent policy initiatives. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 describe the international and South African experience with mechanisms that seek to improve accountability - public sector reform, citizen report cards, and others - and posits hypotheses to be explored in the following chapters. Chapter 5 applies the World Bank's accountability framework to a participatory assessment of services in six municipalities in South Africa. Chapters 6 and 7 apply the framework to the education and water and sanitation sectors. Chapter 8 explains why community-driven development does not factor in any main South African development programs. Chapter 9 explains the continuing learning practices pioneered in the manufacturing sector and addresses how these practices might be used by the South African government to effect change. Chapter 10 summarizes the conclusions, translates these into main hypotheses to be tested in future work, and formulates a number of policy recommendations for public debate. -
Publication
Nigeria - Employment and Growth Study
(World Bank, 2009-11-13)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. -
Publication
Darfur - Dimensions of Challenge for Development : Background Volume
(Washington, DC, 2007-06-29)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.