How does adaptive implementation work in practice? Drawing on extensive interviews and observations, this paper contrasts the ways in which an adaptive component of a major health care project was implemented in three program and three matched comparison states in Nigeria. The paper examines the...

Reforming public-sector organizations--their structures, policies, processes and practices--is notoriously difficult, in rich and poor countries alike. Even in the most favorable of circumstances, the scale and complexity of the tasks to be undertaken are enormous, requiring levels of...

The objective of this paper is to provide practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the public financial management system as inputs to the envisaged Armenian public financial management (PFM) reform strategy. The paper aims at providing a comprehensive analysis of most of the...

This note analyzes the progress of three public sector reforms (Public Financial Management, Public Administration, and Decentralization and Deconcentration) in Cambodia and describes how their design, implementation, and institutional arrangements can be better sequenced and coordinated. It...

Over the past two decades, two trends in tax administration reform have emerged - granting increased autonomy to tax administrations and establishing a unified integrated revenue authority (IRA) charged with administering both tax and customs laws and, in some cases, social security. This paper...

This paper examines the effects of pecuniary compensation on the ability and motivation of individuals in organizations with non-pecuniary or pro-social missions. In particular, the paper compares flat pay systems, unrelated with ability or effort, to two other systems that are considered...

Education systems in developing countries are often centrally managed in a top-down structure. In environments where schools have different needs and where localized information plays an important role, empowerment of the local community may be attractive, but low levels of human capital at the...

There is a global consensus that governance and some form of citizen engagement matter for making development more effective, equitable, and sustainable. Yet the devil lies in the details: there is limited agreement on what forms of governance matter most for achieving developmentresults; and...

In early 2010, Zimbabwe's Minister of Public Service requested Bank support for a public administration review to provide analytical support and technical assistance to identify the key issues to restore the quality of public administration in Zimbabwe. This policy note presents an initial...