Securing Development: Public Finance and the Security Sector

Securing Development: Public Finance and the Security Sector highlights the role of public finance in the delivery of security and criminal justice services. This book offers a framework for analyzing public financial management, financial transparency, and oversight, as well as expenditure policy issues that determine how to most appropriately manage security and justice services. The interplay among security, justice, and public finance is still a relatively unexplored area of development. Such a perspective can help security actors provide more professional, effective, and efficient security and justice services for citizens, while also strengthening systems for accountability. The book is the result of a project undertaken jointly by staff from the World Bank and the United Nations, integrating the disciplines where each institution holds a comparative advantage and a core mandate. The primary audience includes government officials bearing both security and financial responsibilities, staff of international organizations working on public expenditure management and security sector issues, academics, and development practitioners working in an advisory capacity.

"Securing Development is the first systematic attempt to apply economic and financial analysis to the security and justice sector. Focusing on the military, police, and criminal justice system, this book is an indispensable tool for any defense planner, police strategist, or budget analyst in coming to grips with critical issues around affordability and effectiveness. While particularly relevant for the crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, such a book is a good addition to the security practices for developed and developing countries alike." --Karin von Hippel, Director General, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)

"Transparency and accountability are essential for effective and responsible governance of the security sector. The World Bank and the UN bring the issues together in a practitioner s guide that is analytically sound and of great practical utility. Making the fruits of solidly grounded expertise available in an accessible format will contribute strongly to the spread of best practices in security sector development." --Dan Smith, Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

"This book will help stakeholders assess financial priorities within the security sector of countries affected by conflict. It will enable them to put theory into practice." --Javier Solana, President, ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics