Chapter 7 Assessing World Bank support for public financial management and procurement

Abstract

In recent years, the World Bank has channeled up to one-sixth of its lending and advisory support to reform of central governments. A recent evaluation tried to understand what was working, what needs to be improved, and what needs to be added or discontinued. The evaluation looked at four key central government tasks: public financial management and procurement (PFMP) reform, administration and civil service reform (ACS), tax administration reform, and combating corruption. This chapter looks at the first of these tasks.

The advice provided by the World Bank on improving public financial management and procurement is influenced by debates on theory and practice in developed and developing countries. This chapter touches on some of the highlights of these debates, drawing from indicative literature mainly since 1990 from scholars and practitioners. The second part of the chapter discusses examples of Bank support for reform of budget planning and execution, financial management, and procurement, looking at the Bank's diagnostic work, design, and implementation of project support. It also assesses evidence of outcomes and attribution, and ends with questions for further research.

Citation

Wescott, C. (2009), "Chapter 7 Assessing World Bank support for public financial management and procurement", Wescott, C., Bowornwathana, B. and Jones, L.R. (Ed.) The Many Faces of Public Management Reform in the Asia-Pacific Region (Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 18), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 157-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-1317(2009)0000018009