Trust, Voice, and Incentives: Learning from Local Success Stories in Service Delivery in the Middle East and North Africa - Softcover

Brixi, Hana; Lust, Ellen; Woolcock, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1464804567 ISBN 13: 9781464804564

Publisher: World Bank Publications, 2015

Synopsis

This report examines the role of incentives, trust, and engagement as critical determinants of service delivery performance in MENA countries. Focusing on education and health, the report illustrates how the weak external and internal accountability undermines policy implementation and service delivery performance and how such a cycle of poor performance can be counteracted. Case studies of local success reveal the importance of both formal and informal accountability relationships and the role of local leadership in inspiring and institutionalizing incentives toward better service delivery performance. Enhancing services for MENA citizens requires forging a stronger social contract among public servants, citizens, and service providers while empowering communities and local leaders to find 'best fit' solutions. Learning from the variations within countries, especially the outstanding local successes, can serve as a solid basis for new ideas and inspiration for improving service delivery. Such learning may help the World Bank Group and other donors as well as national and local leaders and civil society, in developing ways to enhance the trust, voice, and incentives for service delivery to meet citizens' needs and expectations.

About this title

Review

'This magnificent work is a model of multidisciplinary research and judicious harvesting of multiple sources of relevant data to assess why many MENA countries lag on vital education and health outcomes. In opening our eyes to the causes of failure, the book breaks new ground in pointing to how improvements in public services can uplift citizens and bolster the prospect for democratic governance.' --— Allen Schick, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland

'This report highlights innovative social accountability as a crucial element in improving the quality, efficiency, and equity of educational and health provision services in the MENA Region. It looks at how innovative engagement of citizens as an entry point to monitor and evaluate education and health services can create pressure on leaders, government officials, and service providers to improve their performance.' --— Sami Hourani, Director, Leaders of Tomorrow, and Founder/CEO, Forsa for Education

'This book makes valuable contributions by highlighting the importance of 'soft' inputs, notably multiple dimensions of governance, in driving the improvement of service delivery and by emphasizing the importance of the quality and not just the supply of social services. At the same time, the report delves into some of the deeper underlying social and political issues that stymie efforts to improve the quality of services in the 'cycle of performance'. The report homes in on the roots of service delivery problems, such as provider absenteeism, poor quality of teaching or medical care, and shortages of medicines and textbooks. Together, the theoretical and empirical chapters show that these problems require more than technical or financial solutions. Rather, these kinds of issues can often be addressed by devoting attention to cross-cutting components of governance such as transparency, public sector management and institutions such as the civil service or courts, and social environments that promote citizen action. Attending to bottlenecks in governance processes is necessary to solve a variety of service delivery problems.' --— Melani Cammett, Professor of Government, Department of Government, Harvard University

Edition details

• Publisher: World Bank Publications
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1464804567
• ISBN 13: 9781464804564
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 338