Reaping Richer Returns, Preliminary Overview : Public Spending Priorities for African Agriculture Productivity Growth
This study is part of the African Regional Studies Program, an initiative of the Africa Region Vice-Presidency at the World Bank. These studies aim to combine high levels of analytical rigor and policy relevance, and to apply them to various topics...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/657671476866050422/Reaping-richer-returns-public-spending-priorities-for-African-agriculture-productivity-growth http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25782 |
| Summary: | This study is part of the African
Regional Studies Program, an initiative of the Africa Region
Vice-Presidency at the World Bank. These studies aim to
combine high levels of analytical rigor and policy
relevance, and to apply them to various topics important for
the social and economic development of Sub-Saharan Africa.
This book well demonstrates, agricultural spending in
Sub-Saharan Africa not only significantly lags behind other
developing regions, its impact is also vitiated by subsidy
programs and transfers that tend to benefit elites to the
detriment of poor people and the agricultural sector itself.
Shortcomings of the budgeting processes also reduce spending
effectiveness. In light of this scenario, addressing the
quality of public spending and the efficiency of resource
use becomes an even more important issue than simply
addressing the level of spending. The rigorous analysis
presented in this book provides options for reform with a
view to enhancing investment in the sector and eventually
development impact. The evidence show that the efficient use
of public funds has been instrumental in laying the
foundations f or agricultural productivity growth around the
world, providing important lessons for African policymakers
and development partners. Investments in rural public goods,
combined with better policies and institutions drive
agricultural productivity growth. The dividends from
investments to strengthen markets, develop and disseminate
improved technologies and expand irrigation can be enormous.
Similarly, improvement of the policy environment through
trade and regulatory policy complements spending by
enhancing incentives for producers and innovators to take
advantage of public goods, thereby crowding in private
investment. Reforming the design and implementation of these
subsidy programs while prioritizing government spending in
favor of high-return core public goods and policies could
produce significant gains. For this reason, this book argues
for a rebalancing of the composition of public agricultural
spending in order to reap robust development dividends. The
authors hope that the findings presented here will resonate
with policymakers concerned with agricultural policies, and
more specifically with public spending programs that aim to
improve the productivity of African agriculture. |
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