Publication

This paper is an inquiry into how public expenditure affects development outcomes in the social sectors, with a focus on the education and health sectors especially. It questions how well this expenditure works, and explores which factors adversely affect public service delivery. The question of how donors should respond so as best to achieve development outcomes is also asked. The view taken by the author is that where public expenditure is ineffective in delivering social sector outcomes, the effectiveness of most forms of development assistance in these sectors is likely to be impaired; therefore donors should pay close attention to the quality of public expenditure.