http://www.gsdrc.org Academic and policy-relevant publications on governance and international development. en-uk Copyright © 2012 Governance and Social Development Resource Centre Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:12 GMT Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:12 GMT http://www.gsdrc.org/rss/open george@gsdrc.org george@gsdrc.org http://www.gsdrc.org/images/logos/logo_gsdrc.gif http://www.gsdrc.org 205 90 GSDRC logo Richard Batley Do NGOs that collaborate with government in service delivery lose their autonomy and capacity for policy influence? Does the formalisation of relationships imply that NGOs are subordinated to government agendas? This study analyses NGO-government collaboration in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in three services: basic education, healthcare and sanitation. It finds that, even where NGOs operate in constraining institutional environments and enter agreements with government, they are able to exercise strategic choices. They balance the need for financial survival, independence and commitment to their goals – including that of influencing government. At least for these NGOs, there is no contradiction between advocacy and service delivery. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4231&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4231&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Zoë Scott Why has Public Sector Governance Reform (PSGR) carried out in developing countries over the past decade not been effective? How can such interventions be improved? This literature review shows how much of the existing research emphasises underlying political economy and incentive problems, and the need for reforms to be demand-led rather than externally-driven. A fundamental rethink is needed on the way PSGRs are carried out: more attention needs to be paid to politics in both the design and the implementation of reforms. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4229&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4229&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Jonathan Friedman What can be learned from the South African government's introduction of a service delivery monitoring system? This study examines the efforts of the Ministry of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation established by Jacob Zuma in 2009. The study shows that the chief ministers succeeded in encouraging departments to set measurable performance targets, but as political support waned, the sustainability of the system was put in doubt. Nevertheless, some officials believe that the system has changed the culture of planning, monitoring and evaluation of policies in South Africa to embrace data-based processes. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4221&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4221&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Lauren M. MacLean What has been the impact for sub-Saharan Africans of declining state involvement in public service provision? This paper examines public service experiences in Africa following neoliberal economic reform. It argues that the erosion of the quality of state services has led to a two-tiered system. The rural poor are forced to rely on public schools and clinics, while better-off urban citizens use private services providers. This has important implications for the sustainability of publicly provided social services in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4218&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4218&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Curtis Bell This study uses quantitative testing to assess temporal variation in the provision of 15 public goods. It finds that regime consolidation changes leaders' incentives for public goods provision. New political leaders face not only institutional but initial extra-institutional challenges – such as coups and revolutions – that affect spending priorities. Thus, states with inclusive institutions spend more on public goods as they consolidate and become less vulnerable to elite demands.  Exclusive regimes spend more on public goods early on when they are vulnerable to the excluded majority, but become increasingly repressive as they become insulated from popular demands. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4217&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4217&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT DFID Does formal recognition of a right to sanitation (RTS) increase levels of availability and access to quality, affordable and adaptable sanitation services? This study finds that progress towards these goals seems to be faster in countries that have recognised an RTS. It is highly probable that sanitation services in countries seeking to fulfil an RTS will be more equitable and inclusive than elsewhere. However, attributing successes to a rights approach will require better monitoring and evaluation that includes rights-sensitive indicators. A further finding is that what makes formal recognition meaningful is a participatory approach to working to fulfil rights: citizen-state engagement is crucial. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4210&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4210&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT World Bank This study notes that investments in health and education – human capital endowments – shape the ability of men and women to reach their full potential. It examines gender gaps in education and health, and progress in addressing them. It finds that great progress had been made in cases where removing a single barrier – in markets, households or institutions – is required. However, progress has been slower either where multiple barriers need to be lifted at the same time or where a single point of entry produces bottlenecks. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4200&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4200&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT UNESCO To what extent are the goals of Education for All being achieved in countries affected by armed conflict? This report shows that there is not only a lack of provision of education but also a failure to protect education systems and their students, and to devote sufficient funds to education in reconstruction and peacebuilding programmes. It argues that educational challenges in conflict-affected states are largely unreported, and that education in such contexts merits a far more central place on the international development agenda. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4185&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4185&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster and Edward Miguel 'Community driven development' (CDD) has become a popular donor strategy in seeking to improve local institutions in developing countries. This study evaluates a CDD project in Sierra Leone that combined block grants for local public goods with intensive training and requirements for minority inclusion designed to catalyse collective action and empowerment. The study finds positive short-term effects on local public goods provision and economic outcomes, but no sustained impacts on collective action, decision-making processes, or the involvement of marginalised groups in local affairs. It also indicates the value of a pre-analysis plan in avoiding distorted results. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4182&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4182&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Odd-Helge Fjeldstad Why have many anti-corruption reforms in customs in sub-Saharan Africa apparently not succeeded? This paper argues that the reforms have been too focused on formal institutions, and have paid too little attention to political economy issues and the role of informal institutions. Customs officers are often torn between compliance with abstract bureaucratic norms and the concrete expectations of their networks of social belonging. Accordingly, policy initiatives should focus more on reducing the possibility or attraction of favouritism versus acting in the public interest. This calls for anti-corruption efforts based on thorough political economy analysis. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4181&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4181&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Jake Sherman How can criminal justice be strengthened in countries at risk of violent conflict? This paper examines criminal justice sector reform, relating it to research on the causes of violence. It argues that rather than focusing exclusively on state institutions – or blindly rushing to support informal systems – reform must be based on an understanding of actual demand for justice services. Donors need to improve their understanding of local contexts, address funding gaps, and improve measurement of results and outcomes. Interventions should: 1) encompass a broader range of local justice requirements; 2) seek to incorporate existing links between state and informal sectors into legislation and procedures; and 3) counter organised- and cross-border crime through multi-sectoral interventions with long-term vision. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4175&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4175&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT John Gibson and David McKenzie What does empirical evidence tell us about 'brain drain'? This paper concludes that new evidence should assuage some common concerns. Overall, brain drain rates are not skyrocketing. Africa is not the most affected region for brain drain; small island states are. Brain drain rates are highest from countries with small populations, those experiencing political instability, and those offering poor career prospects. Most skilled migrants are not health professionals, and the rise in skilled migration does not appear to be crowding out migration opportunities for unskilled migrants. Further, skilled migrants are remitting back to their home countries about as much as the fiscal cost of their absence. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4169&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4169&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Carinne Meyer et al. Have health voucher programmes achieved their objectives? This study assesses and synthesises evidence on such programmes' targeting and their effects on service usage, quality and efficiency, and on people's health outcomes. It finds robust evidence that health voucher programmes can increase the use of health goods/services and modest evidence that they can effectively target specific populations and improve service quality. Overall, the evidence indicates that voucher programmes do not affect the health of populations. However, this conclusion was identified as unstable by a sensitivity analysis: one additional positive outcome variable would change the conclusion to robust evidence. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4164&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4164&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Richard C. Crook and David Booth What kinds of governance arrangements are most effective in Africa in providing the public goods essential to sustained and inclusive development? Drawing on empirical research by the Africa Power and Politics Programme in Malawi, Niger and Ghana, this article challenges conventional perceptions of 'good governance'. It argues for 'practical hybrid' arrangements that combine authoritative coordination with an enabling environment for local problem-solving and a constructive use of culturally legitimate ways of working. A developmental form of neo-patrimonialism is more likely to provide the necessary institutional discipline than 'good governance' initiatives. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4162&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4162&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT World Bank Some 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of political and criminal violence. This report argues that breaking these cycles involves a) strengthening legitimate national institutions and governance to meet citizens' key needs; and b) alleviating international stresses that increase the risks of conflict (such as food price volatility and infiltration by trafficking networks). It is important to: refocus assistance on confidence building, citizen security, justice and jobs; reform the procedures of international agencies to accommodate swift, flexible, and longer-term action; respond at the regional level (such as by developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity); and to renew cooperative efforts between lower, middle, and higher income countries. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4160&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4160&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Kristof Titeca and Tom de Herdt How are state services governed even when the state administration has retreated from the public domain? Failed states are often described as a vacuum of authority, yet although there is often no overall regulatory authority, this does not mean that sectors are ungoverned. This article describes the organisation of the educational system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the result of negotiation processes between state and non-state actors. It argues that instead of producing uniform results, this form of regulation depends on power configurations in particular localities at particular times. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4159&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4159&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Asian Development Bank and UNICEF How can non-state providers of education and public private partnerships work most effectively for poor people in East Asia and the Pacific? This report highlights issues, opportunities and challenges related to non-state providers and their partnerships with the state in fulfilling the right to education for all. It argues that non-state providers present a significant resource for improving access and quality that the state should harness. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4158&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4158&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Emmanuel Skoufias et al. How does the introduction of local elections affect the pattern of public spending and revenue generation at the local level? The relationship between institutions of political accountability and government performance remains a key concern for analysts and practitioners of public policy design. This article analyses how institutional design for electoral accountability affects public sector spending choices and service delivery in districts of Indonesia. It finds that electoral reforms had positive effects on expenditures, mainly due to expenditures brought about by the election of non-incumbents. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4157&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4157&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT World Bank There are a number of pathways back from the brink of violent conflict, but there are two common elements in successful cases. The first is building 'inclusive-enough' coalitions, and identifying the signals and commitment mechanisms that can galvanise support for change. Pacts to end violence need not be all-inclusive, and can promote peace if they are minimally inclusive at the beginning. The second element is delivering results on the ground to build confidence in citizen security, justice and economic prospects. For both elements, successful transitions have made astute use of capacity from the private sector, traditional institutions and non-governmental organisations. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4145&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4145&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT World Bank How can international actors more effectively support transitions out of violence and fragility? This chapter outlines trends in the international architecture that affect the ability to respond effectively in fragile and violence-prone settings. It argues that international agencies are geared to minimising domestic reputational and fiduciary risk – increasingly so – rather than supporting 'best-fit' institutional solutions that match political realities on the ground. The principle barrier to effectiveness is international agencies' dual accountability to domestic constituencies and citizens in recipient states. Development agencies also need to address critical gaps by focusing more on citizen security, criminal justice and job creation. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4109&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4109&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Public service management Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT