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Governance in Water Supply

Approximately 97.5% of the world’s water is salty. Of the remaining freshwater, only 0.26% is accessible. This paper reviews the institutional framework that governs the scarce supply of water services, with a specific focus on developing countries.

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Does Participatory Budgeting have an Effect on the Quality of Public Services? The Case of Peru’s Water and Sanitation Sector

This study focuses on the effects of participatory budgeting, in Peru, on the provision and quality of service delivery, namely, water and sanitation coverage and quality.

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On the Efficient Provision of Roads

Badly maintained road networks – or those that cost too much to maintain – tend to increase transportation costs, thereby negatively impacting development.  This working paper explores alternatives to improve road provision policies, both under the traditional model and when using public-private partnerships or PPPs.

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Markets and Hierarchies in Social Services in Latin America: Incentives, Institutions, and Politics

Quasi-markets are a key strategy to reform the government, by subjecting public employees to the same sorts of market pressures, incentives, and sanctions as those encountered every day by employees in the private sector. The central focus in this paper has been on analyzing the introduction of market pressures into the provision of social services.

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Privatization Commercialization of Public Service Delivery: Implications for Pro-Poor Growth and Attainment of MDGs in Nigeria

This study examines the implications of privatization of services in energy, health, education and telecommunications on poverty, pro-poor growth strategies and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria.

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Decentralization, Fiscal Effort and Social Progress in Colombia at the Municipal Level, 1994-2009: Why Does National Politics Matter?

This paper is an attempt to study the interaction between a range of governance structures and variables with policy outcomes in two sectors: education and water, in Colombia. It also explores the effect of electoral competition — both local and national — at the local level, on the incentives to build fiscal capacity and provide quality public goods.

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Impacts of a Government Social Franchise Model on Perceptions of Service Quality and Client Satisfaction at Commune Health Stations in Vietnam

This study is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of a government social franchise (GSF) model, developed to improve health and family planning services, tested for the first time at Vietnam’s commune health stations or CHSs. 

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GDN Education Issues Paper

This paper reviews governance and institutional challenges facing educational systems in developing countries, to serve as a background for GDN’s Global Research Project on Governance and Public Service Delivery.

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Congestion Charge in São Paulo City: Likely Traffic Effects

Aiming to reduce vehicles traffic in downtown Sao Paulo (Brazil), a circulation restriction known as "rodizio" (or "rotation") was implemented in 1998. Cars with certain license plates were allowed into the city on rotation, during different days of the week. However, gridlock challenges persist.

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Land Use Regulations and Urbanization in the Developing World: Evidence from over 600 Cities

This paper examines the determinants of land use regulation and their relationship to various urban outcomes. The study uses data from the Doing Business project of the World Bank (including the Enterprise Surveys) that measure several aspects of land use regulations in almost 700 cities in over 180 countries around the world.

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