The Governance Brief
The Governance Brief (GB) is a regular newsletter responding to inquiries and demands for short, easy-to-read references on specific governance related issues.
While there is considerable literature on governance issues, much of it is too specialized, technical, and/or extensive for the typical interested reader. We hope the GB will meet the need for informative quick read pieces. Each issue can be easily filed for quick referral.
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Issue 18: Risk-Based Governance Assessment: An Approach to Assist in Mainstreaming Governance
September 2009
Overview of Contents:
- Risk-Based Approach to Governance Assessment
- Cascading Governance Risk Assessments
- Illustrative Cases
- Lessons Learned and Conclusions
Issue 17: Grievance Redressal Processes in Urban Service Delivery: How Effective Are They?
December 2008
Overview of Contents:
- Rationale for Institutionalizing Grievance Redressal Mechanisms
- How do Citizens Complain About Urban Services?
- Case Studies
- Municipal Grievance Redressal in Karnataka State
- Manila Water's Customer Complaint Management System
- Considerations for Structuring Effective Complaint Management Systems
Issue 16: A Practical Approach to Combating Corruption
December 2007
Overview of Contents:
- The Value Chain Methodology
- The Value Chain Framework: A Synopsis
- The Delivery of Essential Drugs (Health Sector)
- Public Procurement: A Common Thread
Issue 15: Managing Decentralization
December 2006
Overview of Contents:
- Decentralization Reforms and Policy Coordination
- Policy Coordination Effectiveness: Some Country Experiences in Asia
- The Coordination Dilemma
- Facilitating Coordination and Network Management: The Role of Development Aid Agencies
- Conclusion
Issue 14: Addressing the Political Dimensions of Development
January 2006
Overview of Contents:
- Development is Political
- DFID and the Drivers of Change
- Understanding Institutional Complexity: Loan making in Indonesia
- Improving Governance Performance in North East Sri Lanka
- Conclusion
Issue 13: Strengthening Governance through Constitutional Reform
July 2005
Overview of Contents:
- Governance and Constitutional Reform
- Importance of Process
- Importance of Institutional Choices
- Case Study: Designing Good Governance in Thailand
- Recommendations
Issue 12: Strengthening Capacities for Increased Aid Effectiveness
April 2005
Overview of Contents:
- Paris declaration and capacity development
- Managing capacity development processes at partner country level
- Ownership and leadership for country capacity development strategy
- Conducting comprehensive CD assessments
- Managing for development results and country accountability structures
- Rethinking Donor CD approaches
- Consensus on the need for a reorientation of Donor CD practices
- Supporting country strategies and CD frameworks
- Developing in-country CD systems
- Investing in partnerships
- Relying on country systems for donor-financed activities
- Conclusion
Issue 11: Best Practices for
Curbing Corruption in Asia
June 2004
Overview of Contents:
- Do not rely on the police to curb corruption
- Implement comprehensive anticorruption legislation
- Provide the anticorruption agency with adequate staff and funding
- Cut red tape to minimize opportunities for corruption
- Reduce opportunities for corruption in "wet" public agencies
- Punish the guilty to make corruption a high-risk, low-reward activity
- Preconditions for implementing best practices
Issue 10: Governance of Asian Utilities: New Regulators
Struggle in Difficult Environments
March 2004
Overview of Contents:
- Regulatory reforms will boost private investments
- Asia suffers from partially completed market reforms and confused policies
- Asian utility regulators are not very independent
- Regulatory missions are often inconsistent
- A critical shortage of staff, training, and expertise
- Action needed to strengthen under-equipped and unsupported utility regulators
Issue 9: Improving Government Financial
Reporting: The Window to Good Governance
December 2003
Overview of Contents:
- Responsibility for Setting National Public Sector Accounting
Standards: Importance of Independence
- A Plan for Improving Public Sector Accounting
- Required Guidance
- Key Role of Training
- The External Auditor and Public Sector Accounting
- Conclusions and Lessons for Improving Government Financial Reporting
Issue 8: Challenges in Designing and Implementing Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers In Asia
October 2003
Overview of Contents:
- Aggregate Size of Transfers and Macroeconomic Concerns
- Variety and Structure of Transfer Programs
- Resource Allocation
-
Political and Bureaucratic Interference
- Overall Effects of Intergovernmental Transfer Programs
- Moving Forward
Issue 7: Government Cash and Treasury Management Reform
July 2003
Overview of Contents:
- Government Cash and Treasury Management
- International Practices
- Applicability of Reforms to Developing Countries
- Conclusion and Recommendations
Issue 6: E-Government in Asia and the Pacific
April 2003
Overview of Contents:
- ICT in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Six Stages of E-Government
- Stage 1: Internal network
- Stage 2: Inter-organizational and public access to information
- Stage 3: Two-way communication
- Stage 4: Exchange of value
- Stage 5: Digital democracy
- Stage 6: Joined-up government
- Lessons from the Asia-Pacific Experience
Issue 5: Understanding Government Auditing
October 2002
Overview of Contents:
- What is an external audit?
- Difference between Public and Private Sector Auditing
- Authority of SAIs
- Audit Regulation and Processes
- Audit Workloads and Performance Measurement
- Auditing Method Changes Have Improved Quality and Efficiency
- Audit Professional Networks
- Emergence of Performance Auditing
- Audit and Management
- Diagnostic for Effective Government Audit
Issue 4: Promoting Results-Based Management in the Public Sectors of Developing Countries -- August 2002
Overview of Contents:
- Key Elements of Results-Based Management Systems
- Triggers for RBM
Issue 3: Understanding Public Procurement--June 2002
Overview of Contents:
- The Changing Public Procurement Environment
- How Procurement Works
- Promoting Other Commercial and Social Policies
- Looking Forward
Issue 2: Linking Planning and Budgeting: The Medium Term Expenditure Framework--February 2002
Overview of Contents:
- Why a Medium Term Framework (MTEF)?
- How is an MTEF related to Public Expenditure Management (PEM)?
- Promoting Allocative Efficiency
- Instilling Aggregate Fiscal Discipline
- Enhancing Operational Efficiency
Issue 1: What is Public Expenditure Management (PEM)?--October 2001
Overview of Contents:
- The Three Level Outcomes
- Aggregate Fiscal Discipline and the Tragedy of the Commons
- Allocative Efficiency, Preference Revelation, and Cost Revelation
- Operational Efficiency, Monopoly, and the Principal Agent Problem
- Institutional Arrangements and Incentives
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