Publication: Republic of Haiti - Towards Greater Fiscal Sustainability and Equity: A Discussion of Public Finance
Loading...
Published
2015-06-29
ISSN
Date
2015-09-24
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Haiti has a vision to become an emerging economy by 2030. Haiti has comparative advantages, including its proximity and access to major markets; a young labor force and a dynamic diaspora; and substantial geographic, historical, and cultural assets. Areas of economic opportunity for Haiti include agribusiness, light manufacturing, and tourism. Recognizing these opportunities, the Government of Haiti issued in May 2012 a strategic development Plan (PSDH), aiming at building a new modern, diversified, resilient, competitive, and inclusive economy, respectful of its environment and in which people’s basic needs is met. This report examines more particularly how to: (i) mobilize greater fiscal revenue; (ii) enhance the growth dividend of public investment; (iii) improve the efficiency of spending in critical sectors such as health, education, and social protection; and (iv) protect the budget from a return of fuel price subsidies. This report builds on newly available data, including the 2012 household survey, the 2012 demographic and health survey (DHS), and the 2011-12 school census, to provide a better understanding of the equity and sustainability issues in the delivery of some basic services such as health and education, and engage policy makers and other actors on gaps and priorities.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2015. Republic of Haiti - Towards Greater Fiscal Sustainability and Equity: A Discussion of Public Finance. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22676 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Kingdom of Bhutan Human Development Public Expenditure Review(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-03)Bhutan is situated between the Tibetan Plateau in the North and Indian plains in the south. The development philosophy in Bhutan is embedded in the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) that, as a public policy strategy, seeks to address a more meaningful purpose of development that goes beyond the fulfillment of material satisfaction. The concept is grounded in the four pillars of development; socio-economic, environment, culture, and good governance. Bhutan s record on growth and development has made it a top performer in the South Asian region. The average annual growth rate of GDP over 1980-2010 in country was more than 7.6 percent, one of the highest in the South Asian sub-continent (SAS). Bhutan, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of about US$2,000, is now classified as a lower-middle income country. However, one of the most notable features about Bhutan s macro economy is its lack of diversification, dependence on and exposure to external developments, and the high levels of year-to-year volatility in its economic growth. Public Expenditure Review (PER) begins with an overview of the macro-economic context (chapter two) and public sector management (chapter three) in Bhutan. This is followed by an analytical summary of achievements to date in the health and education sectors (chapters four and five). The PER concludes (chapter six) with policy options and recommendations which are intended to spur discussion and analysis among policy-makers in Bhutan as they look into different possibilities to increase fiscal space in domestic resources while enhancing the quality of expenditures and improving outcomes in the health and education systems.Publication Republic of Tajikistan : Health Sector Fiduciary Capacity Assessment Report(Washington, DC, 2008-11)The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan (GOT), the World Bank, and international and bilateral partners agreed on the need for a fiduciary assessment for the health sector. The main objective of this assessment is to help the GOT take the necessary measures for fiduciary capacity building in the health sector with a view not only to dealing with the existing fiduciary capacity weaknesses in the sector for the management of public resources, but also to creating favorable fiduciary conditions in the Ministry of Health (MOH) to enable it to gradually assume implementation responsibility for donor-funded projects. Any fiduciary capacity improvements in the health sector will provide the additional comfort to the donor community, reassuring them that their funds will be used more economically and efficiently.Publication Republic of Argentina, Province of Buenos Aires(Washington, DC, 2015-10)The objective of this report is to assess public financial management (PFM) systems existing at the province level with a particular focus on the health and education sectors, and to understand linkages existing between the institutional settings in these two sectors and PFM processes. By doing so, the report shows the direct impact of poor PFM on service delivery in health and education. Since these two sectors have significant effects on the bottom 40 percent of the population, this will help Argentina’s subnational governments allocate and use public resources more efficiently, and with greater accountability for their expenditure.Publication Ethiopia Public Expenditure Review(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04)Ethiopia’s remarkable socio-economic transformation over the last decade has been marked by: a reorientation of expenditure from recurrent to capital; a significant devolution of resources from Federal Government to Regions; and a clear prioritization of infrastructure spending, while protecting spending on education at four percent of GDP. The Government of Ethiopia has also leveraged external resources to boost spending in pro-poor sectors, particularly health and social protection. As a result, Ethiopia is home to the largest social safety net program in Africa, and has also achieved remarkable health outcomes using cost effective approaches. Recent investments have seen a significant build-up of capital stock, with capital spending at sector level pointing towards increased service capacity. The current public investment-led strategy requires to be complemented by increased budgetary provisions in operations and maintenance so that new investments translate into enhanced service coverage and delivery. As Ethiopia lays the foundation to become a middle income country, and the changing global environment implies declining external assistance, it is imperative that domestic taxation activity support this transition. The current tax-to-GDP ratio is low compared to peer countries, and the tax structure would benefit from increased contributions by direct tax sources. Therefore, there is an immediate need for advancing tax reforms and improve capacity and quality of tax administration. Broadening the tax bases, through review of exemptions, as well as review of tax rates might be venues to consider. Additional revenues will create the much-needed fiscal space to increase funding for operations and maintenance for service delivery, and support fiscal sustainability. As a follow-up to this Public Expenditure Review, the Government of Ethiopia has asked the World Bank to provide further analytical support, with a view to enhance domestic revenue mobilization through simpler and more efficient taxation, while retaining equity priorities in public finances.Publication Republic of Congo Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05)The Republic of Congo (Congo) boasts numerous assets that can be harnessed to build a strong and robust economy. These assets are oil, ore such as iron and potash, arable lands, and a young population. Congo is the fourth largest oil producer among West and Central African countries, both in total production (260,000 barrels per day) and production per capita terms. In addition, the country is endowed with substantial iron and potash that are yet to be exploited; it has a vast arable lands that could be useful for agricultural development; and the country boasts a young population, which, if well-educated, could be a dynamic labor force helping to spur economic growth.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Morocco Economic Update, Winter 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-03)Despite the drought causing a modest deceleration of overall GDP growth to 3.2 percent, the Moroccan economy has exhibited some encouraging trends in 2024. Non-agricultural growth has accelerated to an estimated 3.8 percent, driven by a revitalized industrial sector and a rebound in gross capital formation. Inflation has dropped below 1 percent, allowing Bank al-Maghrib to begin easing its monetary policy. While rural labor markets remain depressed, the economy has added close to 162,000 jobs in urban areas. Morocco’s external position remains strong overall, with a moderate current account deficit largely financed by growing foreign direct investment inflows, underpinned by solid investor confidence indicators. Despite significant spending pressures, the debt-to-GDP ratio is slowly declining.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2025: Accelerating Growth through Entrepreneurship, Technology Adoption, and Innovation(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-23)Business dynamism and economic growth in Europe and Central Asia have weakened since the late 2000s, with productivity growth driven largely by resource reallocation between firms and sectors rather than innovation. To move up the value chain, countries need to facilitate technology adoption, stronger domestic competition, and firm-level innovation to build a more dynamic private sector. Governments should move beyond broad support for small- and medium-sized enterprises and focus on enabling the most productive firms to expand and compete globally. Strengthening competition policies, reducing the presence of state-owned enterprises, and ensuring fair market access are crucial. Limited availability of long-term financing and risk capital hinders firm growth and innovation. Economic disruptions are a shock in the short term, but they provide an opportunity for implementing enterprise and structural reforms, all of which are essential for creating better-paying jobs and helping countries in the region to achieve high-income status.