Governance constraints and weak institutions are a major cause of poor public service delivery in developing countries, yet there is little evidence on whether and how aid can help to release or ameliorate such constraints. Evidence that does exist tends to focus on the impact of particular types of accountability structures (such as user committees [...]
Natural resources — defined as non-renewable resources such as hydrocarbons and minerals — are considered to be ‘gifts of nature’. If managed correctly, natural resources have the potential to transform a resource-rich developing economy by increasing the overall gross domestic product and reducing reliance on external assistance. However, there are special characteristics of natural resource [...]
Public financial management reform programmes are often designed to address a perceived ‘gap’ between best and current practice in developing countries. However, the available capacity in developing countries is often far from sufficient to effectively implement and maintain best practice reforms. In some environments this capacity deficit may be unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. [...]
This paper investigates the origins and drivers of fiscal institutions by studying the history of finance ministries. It studies the development of finance ministries as controllers of executive spending from their origins as medieval household treasuries – using the history of Britain and Germany in particular. The paper develops an evolutionary account and argues that, [...]
Building on the term 'isomorphic mimicry’, this background note explores different types of institutional imitation in relation to public financial management reform and institutional change in international development. The distinction between mimicry and ventriloquism is important. For states that are able to adapt and change on their own, mimicry isn’t a problem, even if insincere mimicry [...]
This note describes the Timor-Leste Petroleum Fund and issues that have arisen in its implementation. This petroleum fund (PF) is considered by commentators and international financial institutions to be a good example of a sovereign wealth fund to manage petroleum resources in a fragile or post-conflict setting. The note contains analysis intended to brief governments [...]
Summary Uganda’s Parliamentary Budget Office plays an important role in supporting parliamentarians to scrutinise the national budget. It is one of only a few such institutions in Africa. The Parliamentary Budget Office provides quarterly reports on the economy and detailed sectoral analysis of the national budget for the parliamentary committees. It also provides ad hoc [...]
Summary Explicit political backing for fiscal discipline has been central to the success of Uganda’s cash management system, which has proved an effective tool in maintaining fiscal discipline and delivering low and stable inflation for almost two decades. Cash management ensures that overall Government spending and Central Bank borrowing during the financial year remain within [...]
This note describes the main tools for macroeconomic policy co-ordination and management in Uganda and they have evolved. Summary Macroeconomic policy co-ordination in Uganda aims to ensure that the Government budget is financed in a way that is compatible with low and stable inflation. There are two main phases of macroeconomic policy coordination: the first, [...]
This paper introduces an experimental methodology for an index that captures the performance of pooled funds in fragile states across the Paris Declaration principles: ownership, alignment, harmonisation, delivery of results, and mutual accountability. Download