Using data from community-based water services in Sri Lanka and India, this paper first shows that: (a) improved household health and reduced water collection times are associated with better service design and construction: (b) well-designed services involve more community members in the design...

Is public or private sector provision of water more likely to succeed in urban areas of Cambodia? Using quantitative and qualitative data from a range of surveys and technical assessments, this paper compares consumer satisfaction and technical performance of four private and four public...

Using data from community-based water services in Sri Lanka and India, this paper shows first that: (a) improved household health and reduced water collection times are associated with better service design and construction: (b) well-designed services involve more community members in the design...

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, policymakers around the world are focusing once again on government debt sustainability. In China, subnational government debt is an important part of total government debt, and therefore deserves the attention that policymakers have paid to the...

This report reviews the level, composition and outcomes of government spending and distills some of the lessons that emerge from efforts by the Southeast Europe (SEE) countries in reforming expenditure policies. The report identifies key remaining challenges and proposes a broad menu of options...

Decentralization holds a lot of promise, but whether it improves public service delivery depends on the institutional arrangements governing its implementation. Several conditions must be met before the full benefits of decentralization can be reaped. First, for decentralization to increase...

What is the relative importance of state and non-state institutions of contract and contract enforcement for economic activity? In particular what is the role of state institutions in governing transactions? In both developed and developing countries, contracts are governed by a multitude of...