The Politics of Successful Governance Reforms

. Ed(s): Robinson, Mark

ISBN 10: 0415445698 / ISBN 13: 9780415445696

Published by Routledge, 2008

About this Item

Examines the factors that give rise to successful public sector governance reforms in developing countries, focusing on the importance of sustained political commitment, state capacity, and an incremental approach to reform. Editor(s): Robinson, Mark. Num Pages: 168 pages. BIC Classification: JPH. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 234 x 156. Weight in Grams: 408. . 2008. 1st Edition. hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780415445696

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Politics of Successful Governance Reforms
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415445698
• ISBN 13: 9780415445696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This book examines the factors that give rise to successful governance reforms in developing countries, focusing on the importance of political commitment, supportive institutions, and the timing of reforms. It reviews the lessons arising from the design and implementation of successful governance reforms in Brazil, India, Uganda and other parts of Africa through comparative analysis of experience with public financial management, anti-corruption, civil service reform, and innovations in service delivery.

The contributors suggest that three factors are critical in explaining positive outcomes:

• strong, consistent commitment from politicians to initiate and sustain reforms;
• a high level of technical capacity and some degree of insulation from societal interests, at least in the early phases, for designing and managing reforms;
• incremental approaches with cumulative benefits are more likely to produce sustainable results.

Explicit attention to the political feasibility of reform, identifying and building incentives for reform, and a more gradual and piecemeal approach are all integral to the success of future governance reforms.

About the Author

Mark Robinson is a political sociologist and a Fellow in the governance team at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.