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Governance for Development

East Asia and Pacific

Development practitioners: technocrats, missionaries or diplomats?

Submitted by Michael Woolcock on Thu, 2011-06-02 09:28

During a recent ‘Justice for the Poor’ mission to Vanuatu, our team had an illuminating meeting with a group of forty village chiefs in a community hall. The chiefs are the primary source of order and justice across the many islands within the archipelago. Most of them have received little, if any, formal education, their authority resting on their traditional status within the community.

Power to the Middle Classes!

Submitted by Brian Levy on Wed, 2011-05-04 16:34

As coverage of the Arab Street’s awakening continues to dominate headlines, I find myself making further connections between the Middle Eastern, East Asian, and South African experiences. One intriguing common thread pertains to the role of the middle classes. 

Got syringes?

Submitted by Alaka Holla on Thu, 2011-02-24 10:14

In Cambodia, similar to many developing countries with considerable service delivery challenges and weak regulatory environments, the first choice for health care is often a private medical provider. But despite the overwhelming popularity of such facilities – in Cambodia, more than 76 percent of health care visits in 2005-2006 were to private providers according to the most recent Demographic and Health Survey --  research and interventions mainly have focused on public sector health services.

Improving the odds of success when the topic is sensitive

Submitted by Jim Anderson on Wed, 2011-02-23 10:34

After donors released a pair of studies in Vietnam last month, an interesting internal discussion ensued.  Although the reports dealt with fairly “sensitive” issues—corruption and transparency in land management—both were welcomed by counterparts in government. 

Korea looks to impact evaluations to improve aid effectiveness

Submitted by Ariel Fiszbein on Wed, 2010-12-01 15:21

I am writing from Seoul, where I participated in the Economic Development and Impact Evaluation conference organized by the Korea Development Institute. Korean officials at the conference had a consistent and forceful message: aid works.