World Development Report 2017: Governance And The Law
by World Bank Group /
2017 / English / PDF
13.2 MB Download
Why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted
or implemented? When they are, why do they often fail to generate
development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity? And why
do some bad policies endure? World Development Report 2017:
Governance and the Law addresses these fundamental questions, which
are at the heart of development.
Why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted
or implemented? When they are, why do they often fail to generate
development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity? And why
do some bad policies endure? World Development Report 2017:
Governance and the Law addresses these fundamental questions, which
are at the heart of development.
Policy making and policy implementation do not occur in a vacuum.
Rather, they take place in complex political and social settings,
in which individuals and groups with unequal power interact within
changing rules as they pursue conflicting interests. The process of
these interactions is what this Report calls governance, and the
space in which these interactions take place, the policy arena. The
capacity of actors to commit and their willingness to cooperate and
coordinate to achieve socially desirable goals are what matter for
effectiveness. However, who bargains, who is excluded, and what
barriers block entry to the policy arena determine the selection
and implementation of policies and, consequently, their impact on
development outcomes. Exclusion, capture, and clientelism are
manifestations of power asymmetries that lead to failures to
achieve security, growth, and equity.
Policy making and policy implementation do not occur in a vacuum.
Rather, they take place in complex political and social settings,
in which individuals and groups with unequal power interact within
changing rules as they pursue conflicting interests. The process of
these interactions is what this Report calls governance, and the
space in which these interactions take place, the policy arena. The
capacity of actors to commit and their willingness to cooperate and
coordinate to achieve socially desirable goals are what matter for
effectiveness. However, who bargains, who is excluded, and what
barriers block entry to the policy arena determine the selection
and implementation of policies and, consequently, their impact on
development outcomes. Exclusion, capture, and clientelism are
manifestations of power asymmetries that lead to failures to
achieve security, growth, and equity.
The distribution of power in society is partly determined by
history. Yet, there is room for positive change. This Report
reveals that governance can mitigate, even overcome, power
asymmetries to bring about more effective policy interventions that
achieve sustainable improvements in security, growth, and equity.
This happens by shifting the incentives of those with power,
reshaping their preferences in favor of good outcomes, and taking
into account the interests of previously excluded participants.
These changes can come about through bargains among elites and
greater citizen engagement, as well as by international actors
supporting rules that strengthen coalitions for reform.
The distribution of power in society is partly determined by
history. Yet, there is room for positive change. This Report
reveals that governance can mitigate, even overcome, power
asymmetries to bring about more effective policy interventions that
achieve sustainable improvements in security, growth, and equity.
This happens by shifting the incentives of those with power,
reshaping their preferences in favor of good outcomes, and taking
into account the interests of previously excluded participants.
These changes can come about through bargains among elites and
greater citizen engagement, as well as by international actors
supporting rules that strengthen coalitions for reform.