The resurgence of deliberative institutions in the developing world has prompted a renewed interest in the dynamics of citizen engagement. Using text-as-data methods on an original corpus of village assembly transcripts from rural Tamil Nadu, India, this paper opens the "black box" of...

There is an urgent need to provide practical guidelines for Chinese decision makers and officials to better understand the key issues and constraints related to rural wastewater management and to identify feasible solutions and tools to improve the performance and sustainability of these...

Many African countries rely on sporadic land transfers from customary to statutory domains to attract investment and improve agricultural performance. Data from 15,000 smallholders and 800 estates in Malawi allow exploring the long-term effects of such a strategy. The results suggest that (i)...

The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) and the World Bank are pleased to present this publication about the Access to Justice for the Poor Project implemented in Kaduna State, Nigeria, between 2012 and 2015. In that time, LACON made great strides in bringing legal aid services to the...

This paper explores questions related to trust in government and citizen engagement based on a literature review and consultations with experts and World Bank practitioners. The authors unpack the understanding of what trust is by shedding light on different types of trust and their...

This paper provides insights for World Bank staff to support a stronger understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and entry points to mainstreaming citizen engagement in fragility,conflict, and violence (FCV) contexts. It does not promise comprehensive solutions, rather a more nuanced view...

The Government of Indonesia has introduced many reforms to improve the quality of education but learning outcomes have continued to lag. Improving the quality of education has been especially challenging in rural and remote areas. Starting in 2016, the World Bank supported the Government of...

This report presents the findings of a rapid mapping and capacity assessment of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Guinea Bissau. The assessment aimed to understand the role of NGOs in targeted service delivery sectors and in social mobilization. The findings of the assessment...

Despite higher levels of poverty and extreme poverty in rural areas, access to basic services outside the capital is limited in Guinea-Bissau. The state's weak presence beyond Bissau has meant that donors, working in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have become an...