Central America is undergoing an important transition, with urban populations increasingat accelerated speeds, bringing pressing challenges as well as opportunities to boost sustained,inclusive and resilient growth. Today, 59 percent of Central America's population lives in urban areas, but it...

This paper is part of a series of four Urban Policy Notes that identify emergent challenges to Bhutan's increasing urbanization and its ramifications for growth, livability, and sustainability in line with the directives of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (FYP) for 2018-23 and the Vision 2020. The...

This paper is part of a series of four Urban Policy Notes that provide a critical review on emergent challenges to Bhutan's increasing urbanization and its ramifications for growth, livability and sustainability in line with the directives of the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) and the Vision 2020....

Despite its small absolute size and population, Bhutan is the most rapidly urbanizing country in South Asia. This urbanization has coincided with strong economic growth as the country shifts toward an economy based on contributions from manufacturing and services clustered in and around cities....

While Uganda has a long history of decentralized service delivery, and has instituted Local Economic Development (LED) as an additional mandate for local governments (LGs), there has been less progress in operationalizing the concept and practically implementing it across LGs in Uganda. In...

Egypt has considerable potential to become a regional trade hub. A key challenge is how to leverage this potential to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth that benefits the country's population at large. In alignment with Egypt's decision to expand the Upper Egypt Local Development Program...

Over the past twenty years, fiscal policy has become one of the three pillars of macroeconomic stability for Colombia, the other two being the flexible exchange rate and inflation targeting. The credibility and sustainability of fiscal policy is the result of strong institutions (in particular,...

This report is part of the series focusing on documenting the lessons from Malaysia for other developing countries in improving their public-sector management. These lessons include those at the center of government, such as the delivery unit method applied to the implementation of the national...

The government's public financial management (PFM) Reform Program 2016-2020 foresees the gradual transition of public sector financial reporting from a cash basis to an accrual basis of accounting and the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). This will...

The Ecuador public finance review (PFR) series responded to a request from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending. The PFR series offers a combination of analysis, capacity building, and options for reform in selected...