We compute Public Sector Performance (PSP) and Public Sector Efficiency (PSE) indicators and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) efficiency scores for a sample of twenty-three Latin American and Caribbean Countries (LAC) to measure efficiency of public spending for the period 2001-2010. Our results...

This technical note considers the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in promoting the use of information and active participation among various stakeholders in the context of access to information initiatives, and in transparency and accountability efforts more broadly. Such...

The study seeks to survey the prevalence of institutional factors posing risks or vulnerabilities to selected Bank operations and the time at, and mechanisms through which these are addressed. As a first study, it focuses on two sub-sectors of the Reform and Modernization of the State sector:...

This paper contributes to the debate around why and how access to information can be used to prevent and control corruption. Access to information can not only bring corruption cases to light, it can also be a fundamental tool for its prevention and control, given that it encourages the creation...

International organizations most often recommend a virtual one stop shop such as the Single Window for Foreign Trade (Spanish acronym: VUCE). This model is undoubtedly the most successful scheme available. This paper presents the general framework for trade facilitation and shows how VUCEs have...

The objective of these notes is to provide Bank staff with direction and assistance to ensure the compliance of low and medium risk Category B Water & Sanitation (W&S) projects with the Bank's environmental and social policies and safeguards during Preparation Phase. These notes are aimed to...

This Policy Profile reaffirms the Bank's commitment to tranparency in all aspects of its operations and demonstrates to its clients, principally the countries of the Region that it serves, that it reflects the best practices that they have adopted in recent years. The Policy Profile stresses the...

This paper outlines some of the issues that affect small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in three areas: regulation, procurement, and dispute resolution. The work presented herein is part of the Bank's most recent efforts to develop new approaches and instruments to strengthen its role as a...

Ecuador's current political economy is largely a product of the boom that took place in the country's oil sector in the early 1970s. The pressure of heightened revenue flows created an oil-exporting factional democracy, and a dichotomy between policies focused on minimizing the pitfalls of...