Europe and Central Asia | Governance

Focus Areas

Across the region, there are growing demands for transparency and accountability from their citizens. When institutions fail to meet growing citizen expectations and deliver quality public services, the result is lower trust.

To understand the success factors that could shape the future of ECA’s governance agenda, the World Bank joined forces with the region’s governments and leading development partners—the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission, Support for Improvement in Governance and Management (SIGMA), a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union), UN Women, and the Asian Development Bank — to organize ECA’s first Regional Governance Conference from June 11-12, 2019.

After gathering feedback from more than 500 participants from government, international development partners, academia, the private sector, and civil society, our team identified six priority areas for reform.

These areas are:

Strengthening Public Policy Processes

The public policy process is the manner in which governments translate their political vision into programs and guidelines that deliver solutions to citizens. While there is no magic formula to strengthening a country’s public policy process, there are a few common threads of what a strong process looks like: (i) it is demand and user-driven, (ii) it delivers policies that lead to social and economic prosperity, and (iii) it is collective and takes into account the interests, values and preferences of multiple sectors of society.

In most policymaking processes, the executive branch proposes and formulates policies, the legislative branch decides upon them, and the judiciary interprets and controls their implementation based on the rule of law. Today, however, the State is no longer the only party to the public policy process. Citizens as well as other stakeholders, from the private sector to organizations, think tanks, the media, academia, etc., are not only involved in policy making but have become a source of agenda setting.

Watch a session on Strengthening the Public Policy Process

Managing Public Resources Effectively

Managing public resources includes raising revenue through taxation, budgeting, procurement, and conducting the public administration and civil service. Orchestrating government to deliver maximum results to citizens, in the most cost-effective way, is an ongoing challenge to managing public services. Effectively managing public resources requires reforms in three areas: revenue mobilization, public financial management, and public administration.

Watch a session on effectively managing Public Resources

Governance of Service Delivery

Public services are a primary concern of citizens. As such, governments are tasked with delivering a wide array of services – from basic education, health and social services, to protection and access to justice, among others. Despite a steady growth in private service delivery, governments continue to play a vital role because they offer services that markets often cannot, including services to remote and sparsely populated regions and vulnerable communities. As economies grow and mature, citizens also come to expect more from their governments. Building effective and inclusive institutions is not merely about resources, but about enhancing the coverage and improving the quality of public services.

Watch a session on managing the public policy process

Strengthening Public-Private Collaboration and Economic Governance

Public-private collaboration is productive only if it achieves efficient, equitable economic growth through the optimal use of private sector strengths (capital, expertise), public sector tools (public investment planning and management systems, regulation, public spending) and civil society influence (independent, people-centric agenda setting). To ensure sustainable growth, the public and private sectors must leverage their key strengths and acknowledge their interdependence to meet the aspirations of citizens today and in the future.

Working towards implementing the above principles requires significant political commitment, administrative capacity and patience. While the costs of reform are often easily identified, the benefits usually take longer, and the public beneficiaries may be less vocal than rent seeking special interest groups.

Watch a session on Public-Private Collaboration

Drivers and Enablers of Policy Effectiveness

The policy process typically follows phases of formulation and planning, revenue generation and allocation, and implementation, including the delivery of public goods and services. Political economy considerations, and other underlying factors that may influence public actions, often play as important a role as technical or high-level political decisions. Understanding these factors is crucial to navigating the constraints and leveraging political opportunities in the policy process.

Watch a session on the drivers of policy effectiveness

The Promise of GovTech

GovTech harnesses technologies to help societies address challenges in areas that affect the general population – such as healthcare, energy, transportation, urban congestion, and waste management. GovTech can enhance dialogue between public administration and innovators to find smart and effective solutions that help the public service improve the delivery of public services to businesses and citizens alike.

Watch a session on the promise and potential of GovTech

Europe and Central Asia | Governance

Focus Areas

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