Transformation & Reform


How regions, countries, and localities have confronted and overcome their own challenges is instructive for leaders and citizens facing challenges today. Drawing on both historical analysis and lessons from its work advising leaders, ISE continues to document a diverse set of cases of transformation and reforms. These cases provide insight into how leaders and citizens developed a reform agenda, the policies and institutions advanced reforms, how the market and citizens were engaged, and what communications strategies were employed. Explore the Country Transition and Transformation paper series for our analysis of successful transformations.

Country Transitions and Transformations


The Country Transitions and Transformations series charts how regions, countries, and localities have confronted and overcome the challenges of statebuilding. The case studies explore the economic, social, and political dynamics of large-scale transformations, offering key insights into “what works” for tackling the pressing issues of today. Cases range from the making of Turkey’s modern state to state-level reform in India and Finland’s consensus-building citizenship model. View the entire series here.

Country Stocktakings


ISE’s country stocktakings evaluate opportunities for reform during pivotal periods in a country’s development trajectory. Stocktakings diagnose countries’ open moments and pathways for reform by assessing the performance and capability of various state functions and citizens’ view of the state while mapping the various international partners operating in the country and the alignment of key stakeholders around a potential reform agenda. View the Country Stocktaking series here.

The Consequences of Donor-Induced Fragmentation

Donor-induced fragmentation of public financial management systems reduces reputation risk, but it unambiguously increases development risk – the longer-term risk of not achieving development objectives. This Development Practice Note proposes a four-part solution for dealing…

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What Determines the Quality of Public Finance Systems?

Why do some ministries of finance around the world consistently deliver good results, while others cannot make much progress? This Development Practice Note looks at the three most common answers to that question, and explains…

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What is Team-Based Performance Management and How Does it Work?

When a government adopts a team-based performance management approach, it sends the powerful message that the state values institutional culture as the primary determinant of performance. This Development Practice Note explains how a team-based approach…

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Singapore: Evolution of an Entrepot

Singapore has undergone a remarkable transition since gaining statehood. ISE examines the sequence of priorities and drivers fueling its economic growth from a post-colonial city into a center of industry and trade.

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Haiti: Escaping the Crisis Trap

Four years after a devastating earthquake, the reconstruction of Haiti remains far from completion. Although billions of dollars in aid have flowed into the country, Haitians feel the outcomes have not matched the promises made.…

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Governance

For the last two decades there has been consensus on the centrality of governance to countries’ ability to provide security, prosperity and well-being for their citizens. The promotion of good governance, however, particularly in developing…

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