This seminar sponsored by TAP and the World Bank highlights real-world examples of demand-side interventions that have been incorporated into service delivery.

The work of TAP grantees in improving health service delivery is highlighted in the Global Health Council Seminar "Civil Society- The Missing Link in Health Systems".

A fundamental principle of good governance is that those in public office should be accountable to citizens for their performance.

Over the past 30 years, the World Bank and IMF have developed a variety of tools to analyze public spending policies. With the development in low- and middle-income countries of democratic institutions and civil society organizations like think tanks and advocacy groups, we may soon be at a tipping point at which use of these tools along with domestic advocacy pushes countries to stronger reform agendas.

What information should governments and other powerful organizations disclose? Excessive secrecy corrodes democracy, facilitates corruption, and undermines good public policymaking, but keeping a lid on military strategies, personal data, and trade secrets is crucial to the protection of the public interest. Over the past several years, transparency has swept the world and from Asia to Africa to Europe to Latin America, countries are struggling to overcome entrenched secrecy and establish effective disclosure policies.

Over the last 25 years a number of emerging democracies in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have engaged in constitutional reforms. There is a widespread assumption that constitutional reforms improve governance, but the links are not well understood. Taking management of public finances as a proxy for governance in general, Bjoern Dressel sought to clarify the link between constitutional reform and fiscal policy outcomes, such as fiscal discipline and equity.

This seminar, presented by Brian Levy, Advisor in Public Sector Governance at the World Bank, was part of the ongoing Brookings Transparency and Accountability Program luncheon seminar series and focused on three inter-related issues. First, it provided an overview of the key themes in the recently approved Strategy for Strengthening World Bank Group Engagement on Governance and Anti-Corruption. Second, it summarized some findings as to what works (and what does not) in reforms to improve governance. Third, it highlighted some key unresolved empirical questions going forward.

In the aftermath of former president Paul Wolfowitz’s resignation, questions regarding the World Bank’s commitment to its anti-corruption agenda continue to be raised and the Bank finds itself at a pivotal moment. Is it poised to face the challenges of corruption and effective governance within its development domain? With new president Robert Zoellick at the helm, the Bank has the opportunity to forge ahead to a more comprehensive governance strategy restoring confidence in its war on corruption.

The development community advises developing country governments on how to be more effective, offering proposals  that relect donors' concept of best practive.  Not surprisingly, the receipt therefore tends to be similar, if not identical, for all countires. Matt Andrews, an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, analyzed the litany of best-practice recommendations and reviewed the Public Financial Management (PFM) systems in nine governments that are considered to be relatively effective.

Transitions to competitive, multiparty politics in African countries during the 1990s were jubilantly welcomed, both on the continent and internationally. Today, Africans enjoy unprecedented opportunities to vote, and many still revel in greater individual and political freedoms. But the full potential of democracy – including the promise of accountable governance – has yet to be fulfilled.