Publication: PERU - Making Accountability Work : Lessons from RECURSO
Date
2008-09
ISSN
Published
2008-09
Author(s)
Abstract
This note describes the experience of
RECURSO - the Spanish acronym for Accountability for Social
Reform (REndicion de CUentas para la Reforma SOcial), a
successful effort to create the missing link: high
expectations. The RECURSO program provided the impetus for
the establishment of easy-to-understand standards by which
citizens can measure the quality of basic public services.
It enables parents to take advantage of accountability
mechanisms and, ultimately, ensure better health and
education services for their children. This note describes
the genesis, implementation, and impact of RECURSO. The Bank
has had an active human development portfolio in Peru since
1990. Looking back, it is possible to distinguish three
phases in the evolution of this portfolio. The first focused
on coverage, the second on improving rules of
accountability, and the third on making the accountability
rules enforceable by fostering the establishment of
standards by which citizens can measure the quality of
public services. Peru has experienced huge increases in the
coverage of education, health care and some social
assistance programs. Comparisons to countries with similar
income levels in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) and
elsewhere indicate that Peru has higher coverage in primary,
secondary, and tertiary education.
Citation
“Cotlear, Daniel. 2008. PERU - Making Accountability Work : Lessons from RECURSO. en breve; No. 135. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/38f40829-e3f8-57e3-994d-841de9a67f08 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”