Publication: Trust, Voice, and Incentives : Learning from Local Success Stories in Service Delivery in the Middle East and North Africa
Loading...
Other Files
945 downloads
627 downloads
2,155 downloads
Date
2015-04
ISSN
Published
2015-04
Editor(s)
Abstract
This report examines the role of incentives, trust, and engagement as critical determinants of service delivery performance in MENA countries. Focusing on education and health, the report illustrates how the weak external and internal accountability undermines policy implementation and service delivery performance and how such a cycle of poor performance can be counteracted. Case studies of local success reveal the importance of both formal and informal accountability relationships and the role of local leadership in inspiring and institutionalizing incentives toward better service delivery performance. Enhancing services for MENA citizens requires forging a stronger social contract among public servants, citizens, and service providers while empowering communities and local leaders to find 'best fit' solutions. Learning from the variations within countries, especially the outstanding local successes, can serve as a solid basis for new ideas and inspiration for improving service delivery. Such learning may help the World Bank Group and other donors as well as national and local leaders and civil society, in developing ways to enhance the trust, voice, and incentives for service delivery to meet citizens’ needs and expectations.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Brixi, Hana; Lust, Ellen; Woolcock, Michael. 2015. Trust, Voice, and Incentives : Learning from Local Success Stories in Service Delivery in the Middle East and North Africa. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21607 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Internationalization of Tertiary Education in the Middle East and North Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020)Conceived in order to provide a crucial baseline in research on internationalization in MENA, this report draws on available data to respond to both a real need for regional analysis and a direct demand from stakeholders, including tertiary education institutions in the region. Encouraging internationalization to be mainstreamed throughout MENA is the objective that this report seeks to achieve by way of stimulating regional policy dialogue on the subject. The report presents some global trends in internationalization and details its main benefits, before providing an overview of the current status of internationalization in the MENA region, including an in-depth analysis of student mobility. In its reflections on the way forward for the region, the report situates its recommendations in the context of COVID-19, within which, despite serious challenges due to a lack of attractiveness of the region, MENA may find a key opportunity. It suggests that adapting to the “new normal” through the deeper implementation of internationalization “at home” – a dimension that does not require physical mobility and, being implemented within domestic environments, has a much wider reach – may help enable the region to make strides towards catching up on the internationalization agenda.Publication Middle East and North Africa Economic Developments and Prospects, September 2011 : Investing for Growth and Jobs(Washington, DC, 2011-09)The report highlights the important links between good governance on a level legal and regulatory playing field, and the ability of investment to stimulate growth. Investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been strong over the last two decades in comparison with Latin America and Eastern Europe. However, in the oil exporting countries, it has been primarily supported by large and expanding public investments. Oil importers, in contrast, have shown more strength in private investment, which has increased in recent years. A concern with reliance on public investment is that in economies with weak governance there is no evidence that public investment stimulates growth. In contrast, in countries with an adequate level of protection of property rights and legal institutions, public investment is strongly linked to growth. The report also makes a strong case for private investment in services and manufacturing as engines of job creation and income growth in the region.Publication Informality and Inclusive Growth in the Middle East and North Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-06-08)The long-standing informality debate in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region has taken on a new urgency as it looks for a pathway to more socially inclusive growth that is less reliant on fossil fuels. This is occurring against a backdrop of subpar labor market outcomes, further growth setbacks, and deteriorating fiscal and current account de ficits in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic—and in the wake of high in flation and supply chain disruptions triggered by the Russian Federation–Ukraine war. "Informality and Inclusive Growth in the Middle East and North Africa" aims to better understand the characteristics and incentive structure that have led to the prevalence of informal employment in three MENA countries—the Arab Republic of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. The report breaks new ground by adopting a comprehensive perspective to focus on the features of, and interrelationships among, different aspects of these countries’ institutional landscapes to make sense of the complex incentive structure that workers and firms face when deciding between formal and informal options. Specifically, the report groups these issues in three broad realms:(1) entrepreneur-worker relations, (2) taxes and transfers, and (3) market conditions.Publication Fairness and Accountability : Engaging in Health Systems in the Middle East and North Africa(Washington, DC, 2013)The World Bank Health Nutrition and Population Sector Strategy for MENA (2013-2018). The new Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Strategy for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a very timely initiative in light of the transformative socio-political changes in the region, and of the World Bank Group's renewed commitment to ending poverty and reducing inequality. To protect, promote, and preserve the health of its people, health systems in the region must aspire to become more fair and accountable. The MENA HNP strategy is envisioned as a dynamic 'living' strategy, rather than as a static document, providing a compass for prioritization of World Bank engagements in line with regional and client country needs. Its implementation spans three phases. Phase one will involve an intensive engagement process aimed at listening to client needs and clarifying the issues and options towards building and maintaining fairer and more accountable health systems. Phase two entails development of country specific engagement plans in each country. Phase three consists of actual implementation of the strategy, spanning over a period of about four years. Fairness in health and health systems refers to the absence of systematic disparities in health that could be avoided through prevention and care; the just distribution of the burden of costs of health care according to people's ability to pay; and an equitable response to the nonmedical needs, rights, and expectations of those seeking and obtaining health care-that is for a dignified interaction with the provider. Accountability refers to the obligation to ensure that health care services are timely, effective, safe, appropriate, cost-conscious, and patient-centered. The nexus of accountability in health care governs the interaction among three key players: populations, payers, and providers. Safeguarding fairness and accountability requires that the health system is fiscally sound and sustainable. Finally, accountability of providers refers to those interventions that modulate performance through financial and non-financial provider incentives, workforce planning to meet human resources for health, and by setting up alternate organization of care modalities in low resource settings.Publication Altered Destinies: The Long-Term Effects of Rising Prices and Food Insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2023-04-06)Growth is forecasted to slow down for the Middle East and North Africa region. The war in Ukraine in 2022 exacerbated inflationary pressures as the world recovered from the COVID 19 pandemic induced recession. The response by central banks to raise rates to curb inflation is slowing economic activity, while rising food prices are making it difficult for families to put meals on the table. Inflation, when it stems from food prices, hits the poor harder than the rich, thus compounding food insecurity in MENA that had been rising over decades. The immediate effects of food insecurity can be a devastating loss of life, but even temporary increases in food prices can cause long-term irreversible damages, especially to children. The rise in food prices due to the war in Ukraine may have altered the destinies of hundreds of thousands of children in the region, setting them on paths to limited prosperity. Food insecurity imposes challenges to a region where the state of child nutrition and health were inadequate before the shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic. The report discusses policy options and highlights the need for data to guide effective decision making.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004)An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.Publication World Development Report 2019(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019)Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.Publication Supporting Youth at Risk(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008)The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.Publication The Power of Survey Design : A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)The vast majority of data used for economic research, analysis, and policy design comes from surveys-surveys of households, firms, schools, hospitals, and market participants, and, the accuracy of the estimate will depend on how well the survey is done. This innovative book is both a 'how-to' go about carrying out high-quality surveys, especially in the challenging environment of developing countries, and a 'user's guide' for anyone who uses statistical data. Reading this book will provide data users with a wealth of insight into what kinds of problems, or biases to look for in different data sources, based on the underlying survey approaches that were used to generate the data. In that sense the book is an invaluable 'skeptics guide to data'. Yet, the broad storyline of the book is something that should be absorbed by statistical data users. The book will teach and show how difficult it often is to obtain reliable estimates of important social and economic facts, and, therefore encourages you to approach all estimates with sensible caution.Publication Zimbabwe(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03-01)This report presents an assessment of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and management capacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highly exposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity to manage risk at various levels. The report shows that disaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supply chains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP. Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth, food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophic disasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, without benefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk to markets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of ‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability to plan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findings presented here confirm that it is highly pertinent for Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk at various levels, from the smallholder farmer, to other participants along the supply chain, to consumers (who require a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to the government to manage natural disasters. The assessment provides the following evidence on sources of risks and plausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that the report contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategy appropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.