Publication Archive

The consequence of systemic failure in national accountability systems is catastrophic corruption. Such corruption exists in the world, including in conflict-affected and fragile countries, resource rich countries, and aid-dependent countries. This Development Practice Note (DPN)…

Based on pilot townhalls in Afghanistan, this piece examines how citizens can participate in the formulation of the national budget. Initial findings identified citizens’ stronger-than-expected interest with the national budget, and how their engagement can…

This brief discusses various aspects of the Citizens’ Charter approach to poverty reduction. These include incorporating a deeper understanding of poverty dynamics into the program’s architecture, engaging provincial and district level authorities and programs, promoting…

Afghanistan’s nomadic and semi-nomadic populations are highly vulnerable and are generally excluded from development interventions. The Citizens’ Charter aims to work with this population to provide key services. This brief sets out key areas that…

Afghanistan’s Citizens’ Charter program is national in scope, which means that the core model of facilitation must be able to adapt to a tremendously broad range of socioeconomic environments. This is particularly important as the…

In the allocation of scarce public resources, good budgeting is an art and a skill. It is a core function of government, and as such, it is fundamentally a political process with many competing objectives.…

Policymakers and the international community continue to struggle with how to deliver essential services, particularly in fragile states, in the context of violent conflict, inequality, pervasive corruption, and weak institutions. Community Driven Development (CDD), which…

This is a powerpoint presentation for the Annual Performance Progress on the Fiscal performance Improvement plan.

This is a follow-up note to the ISE Development Practice Note on the consequences of donor-induced fragmentation, which argued that the way development partners have managed their ODA spending and development programs has resulted in…

The pervasiveness of auction-based budgeting is a high-risk problem in aid dependent countries. Allocating a budget based on a willingness to pay is extremely dangerous. Selling off budgets to the highest bidder undermines the whole…

Absorptive capacity is not fixed – theoretically, it can be improved by successful reform. Absorptive capacity can change if the underlying drivers of absorptive capacity change. An increased capacity to absorb aid can occur for…

Some limited forms of debt forgiveness and assistance have been given to families, including through moratoriums on interest payments and arrangements for no or low-consequence on default. It has also been argued that government can…