Making education reform work for the poor: accountability and decentralization in Latin America |
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Authors: | Ben Meade Alec Ian Gershberg |
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Affiliation: | 1. Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development , New York University , New York, USA benmeade@gmail.com;3. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy , The New School , New York, USA |
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Abstract: | We build upon and examine critically the framework for analysing accountability set forth in the World Bank’s World Development Report 2004 (WDR04) through a review of selected literature studying accountability‐focused reforms in three Latin American countries – Brazil, Colombia and Chile. We examine the successes and pitfalls of the three accountability‐related reforms (which also involve some type of decentralization) in fostering institutional environments in which the key actors involved in provision are held responsible for fulfilling their roles in providing education services. We apply the WDR04 framework in our analysis of the process of implementation and impact of different types of accountability‐focused reforms in the three countries. The framework was conceptualized by analysing case studies such as ours for a broad range of sectors, and now has widening influence in the policy‐making community, thus justifying a critical assessment. We discuss common challenges impeding implementation of the reforms, most notably political and technical challenges and discuss how well the framework and report capture and emphasize such challenges. In studying the impact of the reforms, we find that their effects are generally more positive in less poor communities and discuss the need for a strong central state to monitor and address such issues. |
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Keywords: | accountability decentralization education reform World Bank Latin America |
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