Maria Amelina is a Senior Governance Specialist. She currently works on countries in Central and Eastern Africa concentrating on sector governance particularly in fragile settings. In her World Bank career Maria Amelina has focused on issues of decentralization, local development, demand-driven governance and accountability. She has led operational and analytical engagements in East-Central Europe developing innovative operations expanding civic engagement and participatory budgeting. Most recently she has concentrated on the analytical and operational aspects of the use of ICTs for enhanced transparency and accountability of service delivery. Maria Amelina holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, jointly administered by Harvard and Tufts Universities.