Kamran Ali Afzal is a career civil servant in Pakistan and has served on a range of administrative and policymaking positions over the past twenty years. He earned his PhD in political economy from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and his areas of interest include public policy, governance, public finance, and social development. Mark Considine is Professor of Political Science and Dean of Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include public governance studies, comparative social policy, reform of higher education and public service reform.

• 1. The Centrality of the Human Development Approach 2. Traversing the Known: Potential Determinants of Public Spending and Performance 3. Democratic Accountability and Public Spending on Human Development: A Theoretical Construction 4. What Really Drives Human Development Spending and Outcomes? 5. Why Governments Differ in Spending on Human Development 6. From Increased Democratic Accountability to Better Human Development Outcomes 7. Pakistan and India: Of Military Ballads and Popular Ballots 8. Botswana: A Miracle of Institutions 9. Argentina: A Tale Told by Taxation 10. Conclusion: Ending a Story to Begin Another

Kamran Ali Afzal is a career civil servant in Pakistan and has served on a range of administrative and policymaking positions over the past twenty years. He earned his PhD in political economy from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and his areas of interest include public policy, governance, public finance, and social development. Mark Considine is Professor of Political Science and Dean of Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include public governance studies, comparative social policy, reform of higher education and public service reform.

• 1. The Centrality of the Human Development Approach 2. Traversing the Known: Potential Determinants of Public Spending and Performance 3. Democratic Accountability and Public Spending on Human Development: A Theoretical Construction 4. What Really Drives Human Development Spending and Outcomes? 5. Why Governments Differ in Spending on Human Development 6. From Increased Democratic Accountability to Better Human Development Outcomes 7. Pakistan and India: Of Military Ballads and Popular Ballots 8. Botswana: A Miracle of Institutions 9. Argentina: A Tale Told by Taxation 10. Conclusion: Ending a Story to Begin Another

Kamran Ali Afzal is a career civil servant in Pakistan and has served on a range of administrative and policymaking positions over the past twenty years. He earned his PhD in political economy from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and his areas of interest include public policy, governance, public finance, and social development. Mark Considine is Professor of Political Science and Dean of Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include public governance studies, comparative social policy, reform of higher education and public service reform.

• 1. The Centrality of the Human Development Approach 2. Traversing the Known: Potential Determinants of Public Spending and Performance 3. Democratic Accountability and Public Spending on Human Development: A Theoretical Construction 4. What Really Drives Human Development Spending and Outcomes? 5. Why Governments Differ in Spending on Human Development 6. From Increased Democratic Accountability to Better Human Development Outcomes 7. Pakistan and India: Of Military Ballads and Popular Ballots 8. Botswana: A Miracle of Institutions 9. Argentina: A Tale Told by Taxation 10. Conclusion: Ending a Story to Begin Another