"Dissatisfied with centralized approaches to delivering local public services, a large number of countries are decentralizing responsibility for these services to lower-level, locally elected governments. The results have been mixed. The paper provides a framework for evaluating the benefits and...

This study addresses the roles of different levels of government and the institutional arrangements involved in the provision of key services. The focus throughout is on disadvantaged rural areas. The study demonstrates the approach for a small number of sectors that have been "devolved" to...

This study addresses the roles of different levels of government and the institutional arrangements involved in the provision of key services. The focus throughout is on disadvantaged rural areas. The study demonstrates the approach for a small number of sectors that have been "devolved" to...

This study addresses the roles of different levels of government and the institutional arrangements involved in the provision of key services. The focus throughout is on disadvantaged rural areas. The study demonstrates the approach for a small number of sectors that have been "devolved" to...

The objective of this report is to provide background and context on the housing and utilities sector in Belarus, focusing in particular on Bank-funded Water, Waste management, and biomass-based district heating projects. The report aims to assess the existing Social Accountability (SA)...

Palestinian local governments represent a key pillar of the future Palestinian state. Predating the Palestinian Authority, many have long and proud histories, including some of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. With increasing political and geographical fragmentation over the last two...

Over the past decade, the overly centralized governance structures commonly found across South Asia have begun to change, with program and fiscal responsibility being devolved to local level government authorities and community-based organizations. This has led to greater participation of...

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 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 on the decentralized service delivery for the poor is structured in two volumes. Volume one is a cross-sectoral report, the core report. The first part includes the program and performance overview which describes the programs (including their poverty goals) and their process of...