Initiative on Good Governance for Development (GfD) in the Arab Countries: Publications

Civil Service and Integrity
E-Government and Administrative Simplification
Governance of Public Finances
Public Service Delivery, Public-Private Partnership and Regulatory Reform
Role of the Judiciary and Law Enforcement
Citizens, Civil Society and Public Sector Reform in the Arab Region

The New Public Finance [an overview] [English][French]. 2006
The book takes stock of how public finance has responded to the policy challenges of greater openness. It focuses on how public finance has responded to the interlocking of national policy domains and the resultant globalization of its main “deliverables”: public goods and equity in development, or fair life chances for all, including poverty reduction.

World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006 [English][Arabic][French]. 2006
This report provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues. One of its purposes is to serve as a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various United Nations entities in 2006.

Changing financial Structures in the Arab World: Some Implications for Oil and Gas [English]. 2005
The paper relates changes in Arab financial structures to financing patterns in oil and gas. It examines the interactions between recent changes in domestic and external finance in Arab countries and developments in their hydrocarbon (oil and gas) sectors.

Corporate Governance in the Arab Countries: Role of the Banking Systems in Ensuring Transparency and Disclosure [English]. 2005
Dr. Saidi stressed three issues in his speech: the importance of corporate governance principles, the special governance problems of the banking and financial sector, and an action plan for promoting Corporate Governance in the MENA countries. The speech was delivered at the Forum on Corporate Governance in Banks and Financial Institutions in Line with International Standards and Practices held in Muscat, Oman in January 2005.

Feasibility Assessment [English]. 2005
Presented by Francois Lacasse, Consultant at the Budgeting Division of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate

Good Enough Governance: Poverty Reduction and Reform in Developing Countries [English]. 2005
A discussion of the governance imperative or “good enough governance,” of minimally acceptable government performance and civil society engagement that does not hinder economic and political development and permits poverty reduction initiatives to go forward.

Corporate Governance and Accounting Standards in Oman: an Empirical Study on Practices [English]. 2004
The paper discusses the practice of accounting standards as one of the important elements of good corporate governance, with an objective to make accounting standards useful to ensure better disclosure for good corporate governance.

Corporate Governance in Developing, Transition and Emerging-Market Economies [English]. 2003
Corporate governance is vitally important – more so than is commonly perceived – for the success of long-term development efforts in those economies. It is important because virtually all developing, transition and emerging-market countries are going through a difficult process of transformation in which corporate governance plays a key role.

Privatization and GATS: A Threat to Development? A Focused Dialogue [English]. 2003
The report represents the debate about the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of privatization. It examines important political and institutional questions surrounding the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)—the WTO agreement that liberalizes foreign participation and investment in a wide range of services.

The Paradox of Governance: Objective or Condition of Multilateral Development Finance? [English]. 2003
This essay examines the international financial institutions’ efforts at promoting governance reform in developing countries. It argues that a fundamental paradox plagues the International Financial Institutions’ approach to governance reform, as the strengthening of governance institutions is conceived both as a condition and an objective of development finance.

Effect of Government Funding on Nonprofit Administrative Efficiency: An Empirical Test [English]. 2002
This article draws on a large longitudinal dataset of nonprofit organizations in order to shed light on the consequences of government funding on nonprofit administrative efficiency. The article proceeds in three steps: 1) it surveys the literature on the nature of public funding and its impact on the administrative efficiency of nonprofits, 2) it presents the data and analyzes the impact of public funding on a group of nonprofit organizations over an 11-year period, and 3) it interprets the results and explores the implications of the findings for future research on public-nonprofit relations.

Growth Without Governance [English]. 2002
It is known that there is a strong, positive correlation between per capita incomes and the quality of governance across countries. The authors propose an empirical strategy that allows separation of this correlation: 1) a strong positive casual effect running from better governance to higher per capita incomes, and, perhaps surprisingly at first 2) a weak and even negative casual effect running in the opposite direction from per capita incomes to governance.

Handbook on Instituting Corporate Governance in Developing, Emerging and Transitional Economies [English]. 2002
This handbook provides readers with a variety of useful tools to develop and implement effective corporate governance systems tailored to their local realities.

Political Economy of Transparency: What Makes Disclosure Policies Sustainable? [English]. 2002
This paper explores the dynamics of transparency. It asks why some government-created systems improve over time while others stagnate or degenerate into costly paperwork exercises. As products of the political process, transparency policies inevitably begin as unlikely compromises. Transparency's particular applications frequently conflict with other societal values or powerful political interests. At the same time, the benefits of disclosure are often diffuse.

Growth, Governance and Poverty: A Cross-Country Analysis [English]. 2001
The study focuses on the interface between economic growth and the institutions of governance related to poverty alleviation. The study was presented at Conference on Growth and Poverty held in May 2001, sponsored by the United Nations University and the World Institute for Development Economics Research Development.

International Monetary Fund and Good Governance [English]. 2001
The author provides a critical analysis of the operations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and calls for broader transparency and accountability throughout the Fund. Foreign Policy - In Focus, Vol 5, No. 13, September 2001.

Reforming the International Financial Institutions [English][Arabic][French]. 2001
This issue of Economic Perspectives aims to give readers an overview of the principles of corporate governance, current trends in U.S. and international policies affecting businesses and business managers, and the work that is being carried out by governments and businesses alike to create a more transparent and accountable corporate environment.

A Contemporary Approach to Public Expenditure Management (1998) [English]. 1998
The paper studies Public expenditure Management (PEM) as a new approach to the old problem of allocation of public money through collective choice.

Public Expenditure Management Handbook (1998) [English]. 1998
This handbook provides a framework for thinking about how governments can attain sound budget performance and gives guidance on the key elements of a well-performing Public Expenditure Management (PEM) system.

Public Spending and Outcomes: Does Governance Matter? [English].
The authors examine the role of governance- measured by level of corruption and quality of bureaucracy- and ask how it affects the relationship between public spending and outcomes. Their main innovation is to see if differences in efficiency of public spending can be explained by quality of governance.