To achieve higher growth and reduce poverty and inequality, Mexico needs to improve public service delivery. Mexico is a middle-income country with continuing high levels of poverty (46.2 percent of the population). To improve public sector service delivery, Mexico needs to ensure sufficient...

"The availability and quality of basic public services are important determinants of urban quality of life. In many cities, rapid population growth and fiscal constraints are limiting the extent to which urban governments can keep up with increasing demand for these services. It therefore...

The study seeks to identify institutional, and procedural factors which may facilitate, or hamper the effectiveness of social services, and inter-governmental fiscal arrangements. Based on existing research on decentralization, the success of decentralized service delivery depends on factors,...

The study seeks to identify institutional, and procedural factors which may facilitate, or hamper the effectiveness of social services, and inter-governmental fiscal arrangements. Based on existing research on decentralization, the success of decentralized service delivery depends on factors,...

The report examines the local government sector in Kenya, the reform and decentralization process, and the dynamics of local service delivery. The report is organized in three parts. The first, traces the broad contours of the reform process in Kenya: the inter-governmental system, local...

The present study describes, and quantifies the provision of basic urban services to the poor, in three Central American cities in El Salvador, Honduras, and, Panama. It also identifies priority areas for government intervention, using specialized household surveys to quantify current deficits,...

Transition to a more democratic organization of the political environment led to the adoption of four laws in 1998 - Decentralization Laws - that provide for local governments' semi-autonomy, and define the overall context in which decentralization would occur, outlining the principles for...

The role, structure and capacity of the public sector are still evolving in Kazakhstan. Strengthening its performance can enhance the efficient allocation and management of public resources, diminish the cost of doing business, unleash private sector growth, and directly impact the accessibility...

This report analyzes the distribution of income, constructs a poverty profile, and looks at the extent to which the poor have access to basic services in Papua New Guinea. The analysis is based on data collected during a national household survey in 1996, and, data on a range of socioeconomic...

Since 1999 Cambodia has made significant headway in reforming public expenditure policy and management, yet in order to implement its development agenda, Cambodia will have to make much more progress on four principal fiscal, fiduciary, and institutional challenges. First, Cambodia will have to...