Democracy, Public Expenditures, and the Poor : Understanding Political Incentives for Providing Public Services

The incentives of politicians to provide broad public goods and reduce poverty vary across countries. Even in democracies, politicians often have incentives to divert resources to political rents and private transfers that benefit a few citizens at...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Keefer, Philip, Khemani, Stuti
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank 2013
Subjects:	ABSENTEEISM ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACCESS TO RESOURCES ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTING ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS ADULT LITERACY AGRICULTURAL POLICIES AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ALLOCATION ARTICLE ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION BARRIERS TO ENTRY BULLETIN BUSINESS CYCLES BY ELECTIONS CANDIDATES CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR POPULATION CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CHILD LABOR CITIZEN CITIZENS CIVIC SOCIETY CIVIL SERVICE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM CIVIL SOCIETY COMPOSITION OF PUBLIC SPENDING CONSTITUENCIES CONSTITUENTS DATA ANALYSIS DEBT DECENTRALIZATION DECENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DISADVANTAGED GROUPS DISCRIMINATION DISSEMINATION DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME E-MAIL ECONOMIC GROWTH EDUCATION POLICY EDUCATION PROGRAMS EDUCATION REFORM EDUCATION SERVICES EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SPENDING ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORAL PROCESS ELECTORATE ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY EXOGENOUS SHOCKS EXPENDITURE POLICIES EXPENDITURES ON HEALTH EXTERNAL AID EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE FEMALE LITERACY FISCAL POLICIES FISCAL POLICY FOOD PRODUCTION FREE MEDIA FUNGIBILITY GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE GOVERNMENT POLICIES GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENT SPENDING GOVERNORS HEALTH CARE HEALTH CLINICS HEALTH SERVICES HEALTH WORKERS HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ILLITERACY IMMUNIZATION IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICE QUALITY INCOME INEQUALITY INFANT INFANT MORTALITY INFANT MORTALITY RATE INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT INTEREST PAYMENTS JOB OPPORTUNITIES LACK OF INFORMATION LEGISLATORS LITERACY RATES LIVE BIRTHS LOCAL ELECTIONS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LOCAL PUBLIC GOODS LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES MACROECONOMIC POLICY MARKET FAILURES MARKET PRICES MASS MEDIA MEDICAL FACILITIES MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS MINORITY MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS OIL PRICES PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS POLICY DECISIONS POLICY IMPLICATIONS POLICY ISSUES POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS POLITICAL INSTABILITY POLITICAL LANDSCAPE POLITICAL LEADERS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL POWER POLITICAL PROCESS POLITICAL PROCESSES POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY POLITICAL SYSTEM POLITICIANS POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT PORK BARREL POVERTY IMPACT POVERTY REDUCTION PRESENT VALUE PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS PROVIDER INCENTIVES PROVISION OF GOODS PROVISION OF SERVICES PUBLIC ACTION PUBLIC AFFAIRS PUBLIC CHOICE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PUBLIC INVESTMENTS PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC RESOURCES PUBLIC SCHOOLS PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLIC SPENDING PUBLIC WORKS QUALITY EDUCATION QUALITY OF SERVICES QUALITY SERVICES RADIO RECURRENT EXPENDITURES REFORM EFFORTS RELIGIOUS GROUPS REPRESENTATIVES RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESOURCE AVAILABILITY RESPECT RURAL AREAS SCHOOL-AGE CHILD SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY SERVICE DELIVERY SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS SERVICE PROVIDERS SERVICE PROVISION SERVICE QUALITY SIGNIFICANT POLICY SIZE OF GOVERNMENT SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION SOCIAL GROUP SOCIAL PROGRAMS SOCIAL SERVICE SOCIAL SERVICES STATE GOVERNMENT STATE GOVERNMENTS TAX BREAKS TRANSPORTATION UNCERTAINTY UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNIVERSAL EDUCATION UTILITY FUNCTIONS VICTIMS VOTER PREFERENCES VOTER TURNOUT VOTING PATTERNS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/03/17591977/democracy-public-expenditures-poor-understanding-political-incentives-providing-public-services http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16407

Description
Summary:	The incentives of politicians to provide broad public goods and reduce poverty vary across countries. Even in democracies, politicians often have incentives to divert resources to political rents and private transfers that benefit a few citizens at the expense of many. These distortions can be traced to imperfections in political markets that are greater in some countries than in others. This article reviews the theory and evidence on the impact on political incentives of incomplete information for voters, the lack of credibility of political promises, and social polarization. The analysis has implications for policy and for reforms to improve public goods provision and reduce poverty.

Democracy, Public Expenditures, and the Poor : Understanding Political Incentives for Providing Public Services

Similar Items