Publication: Republic of Panama : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability
Loading...
Files in English
418 downloads
115 downloads
254 downloads
202 downloads
Date
2013-07
ISSN
Published
2013-07
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Panama's public financial management (PFM) system displays several strengths with respect to the fiscal position, debt management, and payroll administrative controls, but from a systemic perspective budget preparation and budget credibility issues undermine the efficiency of sectoral investment plans and make it difficult to advance on other improvements in the public sector. An efficient and transparent allocation of budgetary resources allows the government to achieve value for money in delivering public services. This assessment is undertaken at the request of the Government of Panama (GoP) which is in the process of reforming and modernizing its public finances, and is therefore interested in establishing both a baseline for future PFM performance measures and the degree of management alignment to internationally accepted best practices. The public expenditure and financial accountability (PEFA) methodology provides relevant information on current management and will allow establishment or adjustment of a reform strategy to improve PFM quality. This PEFA assessment provides a reference and a baseline for two projects and a baseline for the GoP to measure progress of the current reform. The projects are: (i) the program to strengthen fiscal management financed by Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and (ii) the enhanced public sector efficiency technical assistance loan financed by World Bank (WB).
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank; Inter-American Development Bank. 2013. Republic of Panama : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20419 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 Restoring Fiscal Discipline for Poverty Reduction in Peru : A Public Expenditure Review(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2003-06)This public expenditure review is produced jointly by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and focuses on social sectors spending and leaves aside infrastructure and other sectors. This report, finalized in June 2002 and discussed with Authorities in mid-August 2002, does not take into account policy developments occurring after this time. The report is organized as follows: Chapter 1 presents a synthesis of Peru's public expenditure reform agenda from the Bank's perspective. It is based on, and distills, the thematic chapters that make up this report. Chapters 2-4 examine the core functions of public expenditure management: macro fiscal aggregates, resource allocations to strategic sectors, and microeconomic efficiency of public spending. Chapters 5-8 explore selected themes, such as the decentralization of public administration and the social sectors; civil service reform; governance and corruption; and mining fiscal and environmental issues. These chapters are, in turn, supported by fifteen topic-specific background papers, including an innovative public expenditure tracking survey on municipal transfers. Other topics focus on public sector employment; decentralization of health and education; an empirical diagnostic study on governance, rule of law, and corruption; and a comparison of the Peruvian tax system with mining tax systems in other nations.Publication Colombia - National Level Public Financial Management and Procurement Report : Status of the Public Financial Management and Procurement System(World Bank, 2009-06-30)This Public Financial Management Performance Report (PFMPR) analyzes the performance of Colombia's public financial management (PFM) institutions, systems and processes. It documents areas where performance is close to or follows international good practice, as well as opportunities to further enhance PFM contribution to the goals of strengthening fiscal discipline, enabling more efficient allocation of resources, increasing operational efficiency, and fostering transparency. It is expected that the identified opportunities will strengthen further the Government of Colombia's programs of continuous PFM improvement, as provided for under the National Development Plan pillar regarding a state at the service of its citizens: efficient and effective Government. The main challenges cited in the report could also be an important reference to future development plans and PFM reforms. Ensuring the sustainability and trajectory of PFM programs becomes even more critical in the context of public expenditure policies to deal with the current international economic crisis. The study is based on the 28 high-level indicators and 69 individual dimensions that compose the PFM performance measurement framework. Each indicator seeks to measure performance of a key PFM element against a scale from A to D. The highest score is warranted for an individual indicator if the core PFM element meets the relevant objective in a complete, orderly, accurate, timely and coordinated way, based on existing good international practices.Publication Public-Private Partnerships : Reference Guide, Version 2.0(World Bank, Washington, DC; Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong City, Philippines; Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC, 2014)A growing number of developing country governments are interested in using public-private partnerships (PPPs) to provide public infrastructure assets and services. The PPP reference guide seeks to provide advice on what PPP practitioners should know, rather than provide advice on what to do. The guide sets out the main topics, looks at the key issues that must be addressed, and provides what one consider the most important references that PPP practitioners can turn to for answers and to enhance one knowledge and understanding. It is structured into separate sections that focus on three main areas, firstly what are PPPs, when may they be used and the advantages and disadvantages relative to public provision; secondly the policy, legal, and institutional frameworks that should be put into place to help improve effectiveness; and finally the ways in which PPP projects can be developed and implemented. It introduces key topics on PPP, sets out options, and directs readers to examples, and key references where one can find out more. This guide provides new resources and updated examples.Publication Georgia - Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) : Joint World Bank-European Commission Public Financial Management Assessment, Programmatic Public Finance Policy Review(Washington, DC, 2008-11)This Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment provides an updated and systematic diagnostic of the Public Financial Management (PFM) system in Georgia and provides mid-2007 as a base line for complementing the Government's efforts to monitor progress in the PFM reforms going forward. This summary presents: (i) an assessment of Georgia's PFM performance in applying the PEFA Performance Measurement Framework structured across six dimensions; (ii) an assessment of the impact of PFM weaknesses; and (iii) an assessment of the institutional framework underpinning the prospects for PFM reform. There are, however, areas in the existing internal and external control system, personnel and payroll, public procurement, and reporting of high quality consolidated financial statements that are in need of continued reform to further enhance the effectiveness of the PFM. It is envisaged that this assessment will contribute to the government reform agenda by highlighting the areas in which reform has succeeded and those in which weaknesses remain. The assessment will also serve the donor community in directing its assistance programs in those areas of public financial management where the Government's PFM strategy can be further strengthened.Publication Joint MDB Report to the G8 on the Implementation of the Clean Energy Investment Framework and Their Climate Change Agenda Going Forward(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-06)The 2005 Gleneagles G8 summit in July 2005 stimulated a concerted effort of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to broaden and accelerate programs on access to energy and climate change mitigation and adaptation through the Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF). At the Gleneagles summit, it was agreed that a report on the implementation of the CEIF would be prepared for the 2008 G8 (Group of Eight: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) summit hosted by Japan. This joint report of the MDBs to the G8 summit in Hokkaido is intended to provide information on the outcomes and lessons learned under the CEIF, describe the collective MDB objectives for addressing the energy access and climate change challenges, and outline how the MDBs plan to build on the CEIF experience to date to more fully achieve these objectives. The report builds upon the 'the MDBs and the climate change agenda' report that was presented at the December 2007 Bali climate change conference. This report describes actions taken by each MDB to develop climate change strategies and programs of actions tailored to their particular client needs, based on resources and funding mechanisms currently available. Under the CEIF, the MDBs have strengthened collaboration on analytical work and programming and committed to expand this collaboration to optimize the impact of their collective actions. In addition to reporting on the status of the CEIF, this report outlines the collective ambition of the MDBs with respect to assisting the developing countries in meeting the climate change challenge, summarizes their evolving strategies designed to meet these objectives and the mechanisms through which they intend to achieve the necessary collaboration to optimize the collective impact of their climate change interventions.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17)Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.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 World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication World Development Report 2011(World Bank, 2011)The 2011 World development report looks across disciplines and experiences drawn from around the world to offer some ideas and practical recommendations on how to move beyond conflict and fragility and secure development. The key messages are important for all countries-low, middle, and high income-as well as for regional and global institutions: first, institutional legitimacy is the key to stability. When state institutions do not adequately protect citizens, guard against corruption, or provide access to justice; when markets do not provide job opportunities; or when communities have lost social cohesion-the likelihood of violent conflict increases. Second, investing in citizen security, justice, and jobs is essential to reducing violence. But there are major structural gaps in our collective capabilities to support these areas. Third, confronting this challenge effectively means that institutions need to change. International agencies and partners from other countries must adapt procedures so they can respond with agility and speed, a longer-term perspective, and greater staying power. Fourth, need to adopt a layered approach. Some problems can be addressed at the country level, but others need to be addressed at a regional level, such as developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity Fifth, in adopting these approaches, need to be aware that the global landscape is changing. Regional institutions and middle income countries are playing a larger role. This means should pay more attention to south-south and south-north exchanges, and to the recent transition experiences of middle income countries.Publication World Development Report 1987(New York: Oxford University Press, 1987)This report, consisting of two parts, is the tenth in the annual series assessing development issues. Part I reviews recent trends in the world economy and their implications for the future prospects of developing countries. It stresses that better economic performance is possible in both industrial and developing countries, provided the commitment to economic policy reforms is maintained and reinforced. In regard to the external debt issues, the report argues for strengthened cooperation among industrial countries in the sphere of macroeconomic policy to promote smooth adjustment to the imbalances caused by external payments (in developing countries). Part II reviews and evaluates the varied experience with government policies in support of industrialization. Emphasis is placed on policies which affect both the efficiency and sustainability of industrial transformation, especially in the sphere of foreign trade. The report finds that developing countries which followed policies that promoted the integration of their industrial sector into the international economy through trade have fared better than those which insulated themselves from international competition.