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Working with the Grain for Reforming the Public Service : A Live Example from Sierra LeoneDevelopment practitioners still lack a critical mass of empirical evidence which can help identify the set of interventions that are more likely to work, and inform the design and implementation of feasible reforms. This paper contributes to fill this gap by looking at the case of the 'Sierra Leone Pay and Performance Project', a World Bank-supported initiative to reform the civil service. It analyzes the functional problems characterizing the civil service and discusses what factors account for the observed dysfunctions. The central argument is that the current dysfunctions might be difficult to reverse as they define a sub-optimal equilibrium which serves political purposes (dysfunctions by design). However, politics is not all that matters. This equilibrium is further reinforced by systemic dysfunctions that may not be the consequence of any strategic design or the outcome of elite preferences (dysfunctions by default). This is where there is scope for change, even in the short run. The authors conclude that the chances of successful civil service reforms are likely to be maximized if reform initiatives support modest and incremental changes that work with the grain of existing incentives and are consistent with government preferences. The Sierra Leone Pay and Performance Project aims to do so by adopting a limited and targeted focus on pay reform, performance management and recruitment and staffing. In addition, the use of the results-based lending instrument is expected to help mitigate the current dysfunctions by aligning the incentives of the various players and, in this way, create the conditions for greater coordination across government agencies. Although the suggested approach is not without risks, recent dynamics suggest that the chances of success are greater today than in the past.
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The Many Faces of Corruption : Tracking Vulnerabilities at the Sector LevelThis paper explores the use of prototype road maps to identify corruption vulnerabilities, suggests corresponding warning signals, and proposes operationally useful remedial measures in each of several selected sectors and for a selected sample of cross cutting public sector functions that are particularly prone to corruption and that are critical to sector performance. Numerous technical experts have come together in this effort to develop an operationally useful approach to diagnosing and tackling corruption. The many faces of corruption is an invaluable reference for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers engaged in the business of development.
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Moldova : Public Economic Management ReviewUnfavorable initial conditions, and extreme vulnerability to external shocks, as experienced by Moldova's economic transition, culminated in the 1998 regional financial crisis, which fostered the need for radical fiscal retrenchment, namely, reductions in social sectors expenditures. Currently, and despite a seemingly reasonable, attainable growth, the challenge for the Government is to improve basic outcomes in social sectors, and address inequities in access to basic social services. Key recommendations in this report suggest: a) launching a major program of public service reform; b) strengthening the government decision-making process, through the introduction of a system of Cabinet Committees, and the restructuring of the State Chancellery into a non-political Government Secretariat; c) strengthening strategic prioritization in budget formulation, through a structured approach to developing, and implementing the Medium Term Expenditure Framework; d) strengthening the budget process, through increased budget coverage - deepening Treasury coverage - and setting a stronger, internal/external accountability framework. Similarly, recommendations call for a strengthened civil service management, by amending the Civil Service Law, securing the application of key merit principles, and de-politicization, while launching a functional program to rationalize government structures. Furthermore, sector-specific reforms in the social sectors should be accelerated, particularly for education and social assistance, balancing basic education, primary health care, and emergency services.