Other Public Sector Study
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Publication
Republic of Azerbaijan: Corporate Governance and Ownership of State Owned Enterprises
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-11)This Technical Note assesses the corporate governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Azerbaijan with a view to supporting the government’s efforts to bolster economic development. Mutually reinforcing recommendations are closely linked and aim to increase accountability across the whole ownership structure of SOEs, from their ultimate owners, the citizens, to their employees. The Note outlines international good practice, summarizes current practices in Azerbaijan, and indicates areas for consideration to improve SOE corporate governance in Azerbaijan. The Note was prepared by a World Bank Group team, based on research and consultations during January - October 2017, to (i) analyze current SOE governance frameworks and practices in Azerbaijan and identify main deviations from international good practices; and (ii) develop a series of policy recommendations for further reforms in strengthening SOEs governance and improving their effectiveness. This work may serve as a basis for further collaboration between the World Bank and the Government of Azerbaijan towards SOE reform and related policy considerations. Given the significance of SOEs and a range of important socio-economic and political-economy related factors, improving SOEs governance in Azerbaijan is a significant challenge. Implementation of any of the recommendations contained in this Note should form part of a broader strategy for SOEs linked to economic and sector strategies in Azerbaijan. This Note aims to build on the priorities outlined by the Strategic Roadmaps for the national economy and main economic sectors of Azerbaijan for 2016-2020, signed by the President of Azerbaijan on December 6, 2016. The Roadmaps re-affirm Azerbaijan’s priorities in diversification of its oil-dominant economy, reduce the State’s participation in the existing state-owned enterprises, and enable more private sector led growth. -
Publication
Republic of Serbia Municipal Public Finance Review : Options for Efficiency Gains
(Washington, DC, 2014-06-05)Since the global financial crisis, Serbia's public debt has more than doubled. Local Governments (LGs) need to find ways to perform more efficiently, not only to contribute to national fiscal consolidation efforts, but also because they may have fewer resources available in the future. This report represents a continuation of the World Bank effort to explore LGs finances. The first phase of this report focused on options for increases in local revenues; impact of further decentralization; options for reduction of subsidies in selected sectors; and how to control the public debt. The report is organized as follows. Chapter 2 examines LG hiring and pay policies. In addition to offering recommendations on how to achieve efficiency and savings, it sheds light on employment wage policies within LG enterprises. Chapter 3 deepens the analysis of local public utility companies (PUCs), which not only have significant responsibilities for delivering local services, but also often pose a significant pressure on LG budgets. On average, financial support to PUCs accounts for a quarter of local budgets. This chapter looks at the main issues and makes recommendations for efficiency gains. Chapter 4 discusses the most important public financial management issues for LGs, asking where better management and accountability could increase value-for-money and help extract additional benefits from current and capital expenditures. It examines budget preparation, execution, and reporting issues as a basis for recommending policies to increase transparency and accountability as well as more efficient use of resources. Chapter 5 summarizes the main conclusions and policy recommendations of the report. -
Publication
South East Europe Municipal Finance Review : Local Government Finance in the Western Balkans
(Washington, DC, 2013-09)This report addresses the limited access to local governments of data and knowledge of municipal finance issues in South East Europe (SEE). The objective of the analytical work under the SEE Municipal Finance Review (MFR) aims to (i) contribute to improved understanding of local government management and finance in the SEE Region; and (ii) contribute to improving the quality and consistency of key municipal finance data for improved evidence based policy making. The analysis presented in this report comprises the first attempt to review and analyze a regional set of disaggregated sub-national finance data in the SEE Region. Main findings of the MFR are presented in this report. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 provides an overview of the decentralization framework in the SEE Region, including on the administrative and political structure of sub-national governments, their population size and distribution, and the service functions assigned to local governments. Chapter 3 explains in more detail the local government finance framework. This includes an overview of the structure and composition of sub-national finances, in particular (i) revenue and expenditure assignments; (ii) transfers and intergovernmental fiscal relations; and (iii) the evolving framework and realities of sub-national borrowing and debt. Chapter 4 provides a summary of the key trends and findings from the cross-country, regional analysis, complemented by detailed analysis of the disaggregated datasets, where available. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes conclusions and provides some recommendations for a possible way forward. In the medium to long term, access to municipal finance information would contribute to increasing transparency and accountability of local governments, improving revenue collection and expenditure performance, optimizing budget allocation procedures, and strengthen local authorities' role and position in intergovernmental fiscal considerations and negotiations in the SEE countries. -
Publication
Who Governs Rural Russia?: Preliminary Outcomes of the 2006 Decentralization Reform
(World Bank, Moscow, 2011-03)The objectives of the study are to: a) increase understanding of the effects and effectiveness of the implementation of the local government reform launched in 2006; and b) assess the impact of a World Bank-supported intervention that aimed to enhance effectiveness of the reforms by increasing local capacity and local participation. In line with these objectives, the study assessed the perceived effects and effectiveness of the implementation of the local government reform in selected provinces. The study also constitutes a baseline to allow for on-going assessment of progress and to inform corrective policy actions. The instruments and methods created during the study may be used in future assessments of the dynamics of local governance reform. These effects are reviewed in section two. The study also carried out a rigorous evaluation of the impact of an operational intervention carried out with World Bank support in the three regions of the study. This grant-funded project was aimed at increasing the effectiveness of participation of rural citizens in public life and increasing the capacity of local administrations to operate in the new legal and fiscal environment created by the decentralization reform. The summary of the impact evaluation can be found in section three. -
Publication
Romania - Functional Review : Center of government
(Washington, DC, 2010-10)The medium-term objective of this review of the Center of Government (CoG) is to improve the Government's policy performance by strengthening Romania's policy process and policy institutions. The objective of the review will be accomplished by identifying short- and medium-term measures to strengthen central capacity to deliver high quality policy management to the Prime Minister and government and effectively coordinate policy with other central institutions and line ministries. Four critical success factors will signal effective implementation: 1. Decision makers will focus increasingly on strategic rather than legal or administrative issues; 2. Sound policy formulation will precede and guide legal drafting; 3. GSG will be empowered by the Prime Minister to enforce the rules and assure the quality of ministry proposals; and 4. The central institutions responsible for public policy and public finance management will work collaboratively to provide coherent, high quality support to the GoR. 2. The CoG review seeks to engage Romania's decision makers in these deliberations and, ultimately, in a concerted effort to improve Romania's policy performance. -
Publication
Kyrgyz Republic : Health Sector Fiduciary Assessment
(Washington, DC, 2005-11)Manas Taalimi, a health sector development program covering the period of 2006-2010, was developed in 2005 by the Ministry of Health as a successor to the first broadly successful Manas I strategy and is an expansion of the health goals embedded in the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) and Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF). The First and Second Health Sector Reform Projects financed by the Bank used a traditional project implementation structure with a stand-alone Project Implementation Unit (PIU). The Second Health Sector Reform Project divided fiduciary and administrative functions from technical functions by having two separate but related units: a PIU for the administrative and fiduciary work and a Technical Coordination Unit (TCU) for component coordinators and technical issues. Under Manas Taalimi these fiduciary and technical functions will be integrated into the country's health sector systems and structures. This arrangement with high-level policy coordination and fiduciary functions integrated into the health sector s fiduciary systems and technical decisions taken in each of the Ministry's own technical units is an evolution from the PIU/TCU model employed under Health II and is responsive to the sector wide approach (SWAp) that has been adopted for Manas Taalimi. -
Publication
Kazakhstan - Governance and Service Delivery : A Diagnostic Report
(Washington, DC, 2002-05-22)The role, structure and capacity of the public sector are still evolving in Kazakhstan. Strengthening its performance can enhance the efficient allocation and management of public resources, diminish the cost of doing business, unleash private sector growth, and directly impact the accessibility of the population to basic services.This focus on the economic and social benefits of improving governance and service delivery - and of the consequences of not doing so - is therefore apposite. For the purposes of this report, corruption is defined as the abuse of public office for private gain.This diagnostic assessment is based on three sets of surveys of key groups in Kazakhstan. Four hundred enterprise managers and one thousand households were surveyed about their interactions with state bodies; their responses provide external assessments of the quality of the services provided by various government bodies, and about their experiences with corruption, from the perspective of the users of these services. Six hundred public officials were also surveyed, providing an insider's perspective, as well as self-evaluations of the quality of their work. The public officials' survey also highlights progress in implementation of reforms, such as competitive recruitment of civil servants, and provides information on the business culture of government offices. The three surveys complement each other. The surveys make it possible to identify links between performance and weaknesses in public administration. The rich tapestry of information provided by the survey respondents is a means to improve the delivery of basic public services by enhancing the transparency and accountability of state functioning.