Lucia Wegner

DECENTRALISATION AND POVERTY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: EXPLORING THE IMPACT

Decentralisation has been advocated by donors and development agencies as an important factor broadening citizen participation and improving local governance, thereby promoting poverty reduction from the bottom up. On the basis of a comprehensive review of 19 country case studies documented in the literature, this paper questions this assumption. La decentralisation a ete recommandee par les pays donateurs et les agences de developpement comme un facteur important d’incitation a une plus large participation des citoyens et a une meilleure gouvernance locale, facilitant ainsi la reduction de la pauvrete en partant de la base. Ce document de travail reconsidere cette hypothese, en passant en revue 19 etudes de cas par pays disponibles dans la documentation.

Decentralisation and Poverty in Developing Countries

Decentralisation has been advocated by donors and development agencies as an important factor broadening citizen participation and improving local governance, thereby promoting poverty reduction from the bottom up. On the basis of a comprehensive review of 19 country case studies documented in the literature, this paper questions this assumption.

Investing in Africa's Youth

African countries face high youth unemployment and a skills shortage. Technical and vocational systems in Africa are poorly funded and managed. Skill-development strategies need to be integrated into poverty-reduction strategies and focused on sectors with promising employment prospects.

Privatisation in the Meda Region

This paper builds on a new database (PRIVMEDA) in order to assess the progress of the privatisation process in the MEDA countries of Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. The first part of the paper offers an overview of the privatisation record from 1990 to 2006. It shows that, as in other parts of the world, the first wave of privatisations in the 1990s, which focused almost exclusively on profit-making enterprises in the tourism, transport, food and construction material sectors, slowed down towards the early 2000s and rebounded in 2005 when larger utilities where earmarked for sale. The second part of the paper assesses the outcome of the privatisation process in light of three key objectives: fiscal proceeds, economic efficiency and the development of the local private sector. It concludes that privatisation in the MEDA region can successfully promote efficiency and private sector development only when embedded in a package of measures, including the setting up of a proper regulatory framework, the improvement of the business climate and the liberalisation of financial markets.

Investir dans la jeunesse africaine

Les pays africains souffrent d’un fort taux de chomage des jeunes et d’une penurie de main-d’oeuvre qualifiee. Les systemes de formations techniques et professionnelles sont mal finances et mal geres. Les strategies de developpement des competences professionnelles doivent etre integrees dans les strategies de reduction de la pauvrete Les ressources doivent se concentrer sur les secteurs dont les perspectives en termes d’emploi sont prometteuses.

Africans Need not Miss Out on the Benefits of Globalisation

Strong commodity prices are driving Africa’s growth, which should be about 6 % in 2007 and 2008. External vulnerability is a function of its limited integration into international trade and investment flows. Africa should mobilise external sources more strategically. In this respect, aid for trade can be import. * This Policy Insights introduces the African Economic Outlook 2007.

La mondialisation, une opportunité à ne pas manquer pour l'Afrique

La bonne tenue des cours des matieres premieres tire la croissance africaine, qui devrait avoisiner les 6 pour cent en 2007 et 2008. Une insuffisante integration du continent dans le commerce international et les flux mondiaux d’investissement est source de vulnerabilite exterieure. L’Afrique doit developper une veritable strategie de mobilisation des ressources externes, notamment en utilisant davantage l’aide pour favoriser son insertion commerciale. democratisation.

La micro-finance

Pour se rapprocher davantage des pauvres, les organismes de micro-finance devraient devenir partie integrante du secteur financier et s’affirmer comme les intermediaires de terrain. Il leur faudra commercialiser leur demarche, elargir leur clientele et leur gamme de credits en direction des petites entreprises. Risquent-ils d’y perdre leur âme ?

Perspectives économiques en Afrique 2006

L’accent mis sur les conflits et les donnees empiriques masque les reels progres des pays africains pour instaurer des systemes politiques plus stables et plus ouverts. C’est ce que revele un nouvel indicateur, qui repose sur une analyse systematique des evenements et des decisions politiques intervenus au cours des dix dernieres annees.

African Economic Outlook 2006

Africa’s economic progress now seems on a firm footing after a third straight year of satisfactory performance in 2005, with overall growth of 5 per cent, average per capita income up 3 per cent and inflation steady at under 10 per cent. Two-thirds of the 30 countries surveyed in the Africa Economic Outlook report showed a net growth ininvestment that was by far the best in seven years.