In recent years, developing countries have decentralized functions and responsibilities for service delivery to lower levels of government at an increasing pace. The main reasons for such reforms are often political, but governments adopt them also as a way to improve service delivery and local governance. Typically, after the political decision is made, a country will turn to its development partners— including the World Bank— for support in implementing the new policies and achieving their development objectives. MORE >
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The effectiveness and efficiency of a country's public sector is vital to the success of development activities, including those the World Bank supports. Sound financial management, an efficient civil service and administrative policy, efficient and fair collection of taxes, and transparent operations that are relatively free of corruption all contribute to good delivery of public services.
The Bank has devoted an increasing share of its lending and advisory support to the reform of central governments, so it is important to understand what is working, what needs improvement, and what is missing. MORE > |
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The World Bank's analysis of a country’s public financial management system is an important component of fiduciary diagnostics. It is typically undertaken both to help the client country strengthen its system and to safeguard funds that the Bank provides against misuse. The resulting diagnostics have fostered reform agendas in client countries. MORE > |