The Politics of Successful Governance Reforms: Lessons of Design and Implementation

Abstract

This article reviews the lessons arising from the design and implementation of successful governance reforms in Brazil, India, and Uganda through comparative analysis of experience with public financial management, anti-corruption, civil service reform, and innovations in service delivery. Three factors are found to be critical in successful reform outcomes: strong and consistent commitment from politicians is an indispensable requirement for initiating and sustaining reforms; a high level of technical capacity and some degree of insulation from societal interests is needed for designing and managing reforms; and incremental approaches with cumulative benefits are more likely to produce durable results. Explicit attention to the political feasibility of reform, identifying and building incentives for reform, and working with reform-oriented politicians and bureaucrats is a fruitful approach for governments and donor agencies to explore in the design of future governance reform initiatives.

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