Although at different stages of development, the countries of the Western Balkans--Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia--face similar challenges in transforming and modernizing their agricultural food production (agri-food) sectors. Their rural sectors have lagged behind the rest of the economy in growth and poverty reduction, their agri-food sectors are undercapitalized and highly fragmented, and their agro-processing capacities limited. Agricultural trade deficits are widening, climate change is posing increasing risks to farm...

This study is a comprehensive review of fiscal federalism in the Russian Federation. It presents a strong case for greater decentralization. By succinctly surveying the literature on fiscal decentralization and clearly spelling out the main concepts, the volume sets the stage for the subsequent description of the fiscal system in Russia and its evolution through a succession of reforms guided by a desire on the part of Russian policymakers to craft a workable system of fiscal federalism. The authors not only describe the state of fiscal federalism in Russia at its key turning points, but they...

An increasing number of developing countries are introducing school-based management (SBM) reforms that are aimed at empowering principals and teachers or at strengthening their professional motivation, thereby enhancing their sense of school ownership. Many of these reforms have also strengthened parental involvement in the schools. SBM programs take many different forms in terms of who has the decision-making power and the degree of decision making that devolves to the school level. While some programs transfer authority only to school principals or teachers, others encourage or mandate...

The global food, fuel, and financial crises have given new prominence to school feeding as a potential safety net and as a social support measure that helps keep children in school. 'Rethinking School Feeding: Social Safety Nets, Child Development, and the Educator Sector' was written jointly by the World Bank Group and the World Food Programme (WFP), building on the comparative advantages of both organizations. It examines the evidence base for school feeding programs with the objective of better understanding how to develop and implement effective school feeding programs in two contexts: as...

While public-private partnerships in education in the United States have received a lot of attention, research on such partnerships elsewhere has been limited--even though such partnerships have been steadily gaining prominence, particularly in developing countries. Aiming to fill this gap, this book presents fresh, technically sound empirical evidence on the effectiveness and cost of various public-private education partnerships from around the world, including voucher programs and faith-based schools. The evidence on the impact in terms of school performance, targeting, and cost of...

'Reforming China s Rural Health System' examines the performance and workings of China s rural health system leading up to the reforms of the 2000s, outlines the reforms, and presents some early evidence on their impacts. The authors outline ideas for building on these reforms to further strengthen China s rural health system, covering health financing and health insurance, service delivery, and public health. The authors conclude by using the experiences of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries to gaze into China s future, asking not only what China s health...

Fiscal discipline and public sector efficiency became prominent issues in Latin America and the Caribbean in the late 1980 s following external debt crises that troubled many countries in the region. Resolution of the debt crises necessitated a first wave of reforms that largely focused on upgrading legal and regulatory frameworks or improving information systems. Nearly twenty years later progress in matching OECD practices and performance in public financial management and procurement has been uneven and has been one of the factors that impeded higher growth and competitiveness in Latin...

In September 2001, staff from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund met with the objective of strengthening collaboration between the two organizations in projects of civil service reform. This strengthened collaboration will have key benefits in ensuring consistency between the conflicting goals of the two organizations, establishing realistic objectives within the reform process, and maintaining a core set of wage and employment data. The principal conclusion arrived at was that World Bank and IMF staff should be engaging in collaboration earlier in the reform process. To guide...

En 1994, le gouvernement camerounais a initie des reformes legales et commerciales visant a reguler les droits d'acces et d'usage des forets tropicales, qui constituent une richesse incontestable pour le pays. Ces reformes cherchaient a equilibrer les interets publics et prives et a plus largement integrer les perspectives economiques, culturelles et environnementales. Aujourd'hui, plus de 60 pourcent des forets tropicales du Cameroun sont exploitees selon un plan d amenagement agree. L'exploitation illegale dans les forets amenagees a significativement diminue, la biodiversite est protegee...

In 2004 the Indonesian government made a commitment to provide its entire population with health insurance coverage through a mandatory public health insurance scheme. It has moved boldly already provides coverage to an estimated 76.4 million poor and near poor, funded through the public budget. Nevertheless, over half the population still lacks health insurance coverage, and the full fiscal impacts of the government s program for the poor have not been fully assessed or felt. In addition, significant deficiencies in the efficiency and equity of the current health system, unless addressed...