"Here" is a hypothetical place where governance is poor, rule of law is not respected, and justice is often denied. Many, particularly the poor and the marginalised, suffer daily indignities, big and small, and live a life marked by fear and insecurity."Denmark", on the other hand, is where good governance prevails and is reflected in predictable and accountable actions by others, including the State.The journey From Here to Denmark is essentially a quest of ensuring good governance. Improving governance needs good, strong institutions.Time, history, culture, leadership and yes, luck all have a role to play in this journey. But the experiences of several countries which have made this transition convincingly point to the overriding importance of human capital and an empowered citizenry who can actively participate in the affairs of their society in building strong institutions.
"Here" is a hypothetical place where governance is poor, rule of law is not respected, and justice is often denied. Many, particularly the poor and the marginalised, suffer daily indignities, big and small, and live a life marked by fear and insecurity. "Denmark", on the other hand, is where good governance prevails and is reflected in predictable and accountable actions by others, including the State. The journey From Here to Denmark is essentially a quest of ensuring good governance. Improving governance needs good, strong institutions. Time, history, culture, leadership and yes, luck all have a role to play in this journey. But the experiences of several countries which have made this transition convincingly point to the overriding importance of human capital and an empowered citizenry who can actively participate in the affairs of their society in building strong institutions.
"Here" is a hypothetical place where governance is poor, rule of law is not respected, and justice is often denied. Many, particularly the poor and the marginalised, suffer daily indignities, big and small, and live a life marked by fear and insecurity. "Denmark", on the other hand, is where good governance prevails and is reflected in predictable and accountable actions by others, including the State. The journey From Here to Denmark is essentially a quest of ensuring good governance. Improving governance needs good, strong institutions. Time, history, culture, leadership and yes, luck all have a role to play in this journey. But the experiences of several countries which have made this transition convincingly point to the overriding importance of human capital and an empowered citizenry who can actively participate in the affairs of their society in building strong institutions.
Africa is at a critical inflection point. After decades of disappointing performance a combination of sound macro policies and a commodity price bonanza has led to a dramatic and long overdue surge in African growth rates and concomitant improvement in social indicators. This impressive performance has now created its own challenge for African leadership-the heightened aspirations of their own people and the expectation of the world at large. And responding to this challenge will definitely require more than staying the course-more of the same will not work. It will require bold and tenacious pursuit of multifaceted policies and initiatives that will call for intellectual integrity and single?minded determination combined with political courage at home and statesmanship abroad. It is in this context that the experience of the other emerging markets economies may provide pointers as African leaders grapple with the complex multidimensional issues of not just maintaining but accelerating economic growth, prosperity and well?being of their populace. To set the stage for defining the opportunities and the promise that can lie ahead, this report sets out alternative scenarios of what the outcomes could be but not predictions of what they will be. This study also outlines a framework and action agenda that can deliver Africa's promise.
Charting a renewed course for Africa, this work looks at the immediate challenges resulting from the global changes and the priority medium-term policy agenda essential to achieve the long-term aspirational vision for the continent till 2065. It maintains a balance between recognizing the challenges Africa faces and putting forth a strategic agenda for exploiting these opportunities, thereby also presenting the possible cost of missing the opportunities. Emphasizing on what can be seen as the two important priorities for Africa-creating quality jobs and eradicating extreme poverty through inclusive economic growth-this study provides policy recommendations to reset the economic trajectory and achieve the desired convergence of Africa.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a potential gamechanger for the Central Asia and South Caucasus (CASC) region. CASC countries naturally view this massive development program as a unique opportunity to accelerate their economic development through increased foreign investment, upgraded physical infrastructure, and tighter economic relationships with their neighbors.Yet embracing the BRI is not without risks. Some BRI investments may prove to be fiscally unsustainable, economically and financially unviable, and socially and environmentally harmful. Inadequate cross-border coordination and infrastructure maintenance could render some BRI investments wasteful or redundant. If not proactively addressed, these risks have the potential to leave countries worse off for having participated in the BRI.Policymakers in the CASC region and their development partners, thus, face a daunting question: how to realize the promise of the BRI for their countries while avoiding the pitfalls that lie along the way?This book attempts to answer this question by leveraging the unique insights of development experts in the CASC region. Drawing on the most comprehensive review of BRI investment data conducted to date, this book presents a dynamic policy agenda that is relevant to any country in which China is building the Belt and Road.