Alan Gelb - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Alan Gelb
This Annual Review of Environment Matters, dedicated to Economic Growth and the Environment, brin... more This Annual Review of Environment Matters, dedicated to Economic Growth and the Environment, brings together a wide variety of external and internal viewpoints on the challenges ahead, and the progress that is taking place. In this issue, three major partner countries-China, India and Mexico-present their perspectives. Among other topics, this edition features the Bank's recent research on what happens to environment during growth, and the different tools available to promote environmentally, and socially sustainable economic growth. It also includes reviews of the Bank's environmental programs in developing countries and its global engagement. The review includes viewpoints on the environment and competitiveness; on harmonizing environmental concerns and economic growth from the Indian perspective; integrating rapid growth and environmental protection as a challenge for China; mainstreaming and infrastructure; and, health-driven environmental issues. Moreover, the review fe...
Recent advances in the scope and sophistication of identification systems could have far-reaching... more Recent advances in the scope and sophistication of identification systems could have far-reaching consequences for development. At their best, ID systems can advance the Sustainable Development Goals by helping to realize individual rights, build state capacity, improve accountability, and expand opportunity. But their success is not guaranteed. At their worst, ID systems can exclude vulnerable groups, support institutionalized discrimination, and facilitate the exploitation of personal data.
Post-Soviet Geography and Economics, 1996
... imi (in-former Republic or ^'ugí>slavi,T. Reaï GDP did noi decline in China a... more ... imi (in-former Republic or ^'ugí>slavi,T. Reaï GDP did noi decline in China arid Vietnam. ... of ibis paper is to provide a broad comparative overview of the experience with transition up to ... A more detailed look at the time path of growth and inflation for reformers and non-reformers ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017
Mexico poses a conundrum. In many respects it has been successful at growing its economy and inte... more Mexico poses a conundrum. In many respects it has been successful at growing its economy and integrating with global markets. On the other hand, its level of financial inclusion, at 36.9 percent, is about 20 percentage points lower than for other countries at comparable levels of per capita income, and is far below the level in such lower-middle-income countries as Kenya and India (Figure 1). Among its peers in Latin America, Mexico is the worst-performing relative to its income; it only surpasses three other countries regionally—all with much lower per capita incomes.
The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery... more The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery of public services, programs and subsidies. Many of its innovations were piloted in Krishna District, which has been visited by development agencies and delegations from many countries. This paper reports on research to better understand the functioning and effectiveness of its reforms to strengthen state capacity by digitalizing service delivery. Against the wider backdrop of the use of Aadhaar in India, it summarizes Andhra’s reforms, which go beyond those of most other jurisdictions in the measures taken to strengthen accountability, offer choice of service provider, and incorporate feedback loops using the vast amount of data generated by a real-time digital service system as well as beneficiary responses. It reports the results from surveys of beneficiaries who receive food rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and/or pensions, and on the response of landowners and...
Revue d'économie du développement, 2016
The World Bank Economic Review, 2001
Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics (Global), 2013
Abstract The seventh Annual World Bank conference on development economics addresses four themes:... more Abstract The seventh Annual World Bank conference on development economics addresses four themes: revisiting Redistribution with growth (Chenery and others 1974)(two papers: inequality, poverty, and growth: where do we stand?; research on poverty and ...
World Development, 2008
Evidence is mounting that the pattern of overseas aid through time, of which its volatility (or i... more Evidence is mounting that the pattern of overseas aid through time, of which its volatility (or instability) is a key dimension, has an important influence on its effectiveness. The three papers in this Special Section examine the extent of this influence, and how it may be possible to control volatility in the interests of more effective aid.
Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, 2020
Revue d'économie du développement, 2016
Emerging market countries require substantial foreign investment for development, economic growth... more Emerging market countries require substantial foreign investment for development, economic growth,and poverty alleviation. There are multiple challenges to attracting this investment, however, ranging from political and economic instability to corruption, poor security, and small market size. An additional challenge is inadequate delivery of key services like electricity and other utilities that private firms and investors rely on. Service performance guarantees are a promising approach to addressing this issue. These guarantees enable firms to purchase protection against poor or insufficient service delivery, and they may work particularly well in industrial or export processing zones by ensuring that shortfalls in service delivery are measured, reported, and addressed in a timely manner.
Unlike most other donors, IDA bases its country envelopes on a formal performance assessment, the... more Unlike most other donors, IDA bases its country envelopes on a formal performance assessment, the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA). This paper takes the CPIA instrument as given. It outlines the process of estimating country ratings with special reference to the (Sub-Saharan) Africa Region, and addresses a number of questions concerning (a) how the CPIA compares with other ratings, (b) the relationship between the CPIA and country performance, and (c) the likely errors of CPIA-type ratings and their implications for disclosure and performance-based allocation of development assistance. CPIA estimates are broadly correlated with the rankings of a number of other indicators, including the Kaufmann, Kraay and Zoido-Lobaton (KKZ) governance indicators and the Heritage Foundation's Economic Freedom Indicator. The closest association is found with the similar, but independently estimated, performance index of the African Development Bank. Comparing African countries ...
India has emerged as a leader in building on its biometric digital ID (Aadhaar) to reform service... more India has emerged as a leader in building on its biometric digital ID (Aadhaar) to reform service and program delivery. It moved quickly to consolidate the rollout of Aadhaar, and then to embed the unique Aadhaar number into program databases. A range of applications, including digital signature and payments, was then constructed on top of the Aadhaar foundation (the India Stack). Together with partners, the Center for Global Development is analyzing the effects of Aadhaar-based reforms. India offers lessons for many other countries as their focus evolves from rolling out an ID system towards using it to improve the efficiency and inclusivity of service delivery. Some programs using Aadhaar are federally administered but others are implemented at state level. It is already clear that some states and sectors are reforming better than others, generally because of better design of the digital reforms or stronger capacity to implement them. The three programs we discuss below highlight ...
This Annual Review of Environment Matters, dedicated to Economic Growth and the Environment, brin... more This Annual Review of Environment Matters, dedicated to Economic Growth and the Environment, brings together a wide variety of external and internal viewpoints on the challenges ahead, and the progress that is taking place. In this issue, three major partner countries-China, India and Mexico-present their perspectives. Among other topics, this edition features the Bank's recent research on what happens to environment during growth, and the different tools available to promote environmentally, and socially sustainable economic growth. It also includes reviews of the Bank's environmental programs in developing countries and its global engagement. The review includes viewpoints on the environment and competitiveness; on harmonizing environmental concerns and economic growth from the Indian perspective; integrating rapid growth and environmental protection as a challenge for China; mainstreaming and infrastructure; and, health-driven environmental issues. Moreover, the review fe...
Recent advances in the scope and sophistication of identification systems could have far-reaching... more Recent advances in the scope and sophistication of identification systems could have far-reaching consequences for development. At their best, ID systems can advance the Sustainable Development Goals by helping to realize individual rights, build state capacity, improve accountability, and expand opportunity. But their success is not guaranteed. At their worst, ID systems can exclude vulnerable groups, support institutionalized discrimination, and facilitate the exploitation of personal data.
Post-Soviet Geography and Economics, 1996
... imi (in-former Republic or ^'ugí>slavi,T. Reaï GDP did noi decline in China a... more ... imi (in-former Republic or ^'ugí>slavi,T. Reaï GDP did noi decline in China arid Vietnam. ... of ibis paper is to provide a broad comparative overview of the experience with transition up to ... A more detailed look at the time path of growth and inflation for reformers and non-reformers ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017
Mexico poses a conundrum. In many respects it has been successful at growing its economy and inte... more Mexico poses a conundrum. In many respects it has been successful at growing its economy and integrating with global markets. On the other hand, its level of financial inclusion, at 36.9 percent, is about 20 percentage points lower than for other countries at comparable levels of per capita income, and is far below the level in such lower-middle-income countries as Kenya and India (Figure 1). Among its peers in Latin America, Mexico is the worst-performing relative to its income; it only surpasses three other countries regionally—all with much lower per capita incomes.
The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery... more The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized as a leader in using technology to improve the delivery of public services, programs and subsidies. Many of its innovations were piloted in Krishna District, which has been visited by development agencies and delegations from many countries. This paper reports on research to better understand the functioning and effectiveness of its reforms to strengthen state capacity by digitalizing service delivery. Against the wider backdrop of the use of Aadhaar in India, it summarizes Andhra’s reforms, which go beyond those of most other jurisdictions in the measures taken to strengthen accountability, offer choice of service provider, and incorporate feedback loops using the vast amount of data generated by a real-time digital service system as well as beneficiary responses. It reports the results from surveys of beneficiaries who receive food rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and/or pensions, and on the response of landowners and...
Revue d'économie du développement, 2016
The World Bank Economic Review, 2001
Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics (Global), 2013
Abstract The seventh Annual World Bank conference on development economics addresses four themes:... more Abstract The seventh Annual World Bank conference on development economics addresses four themes: revisiting Redistribution with growth (Chenery and others 1974)(two papers: inequality, poverty, and growth: where do we stand?; research on poverty and ...
World Development, 2008
Evidence is mounting that the pattern of overseas aid through time, of which its volatility (or i... more Evidence is mounting that the pattern of overseas aid through time, of which its volatility (or instability) is a key dimension, has an important influence on its effectiveness. The three papers in this Special Section examine the extent of this influence, and how it may be possible to control volatility in the interests of more effective aid.
Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, 2020
Revue d'économie du développement, 2016
Emerging market countries require substantial foreign investment for development, economic growth... more Emerging market countries require substantial foreign investment for development, economic growth,and poverty alleviation. There are multiple challenges to attracting this investment, however, ranging from political and economic instability to corruption, poor security, and small market size. An additional challenge is inadequate delivery of key services like electricity and other utilities that private firms and investors rely on. Service performance guarantees are a promising approach to addressing this issue. These guarantees enable firms to purchase protection against poor or insufficient service delivery, and they may work particularly well in industrial or export processing zones by ensuring that shortfalls in service delivery are measured, reported, and addressed in a timely manner.
Unlike most other donors, IDA bases its country envelopes on a formal performance assessment, the... more Unlike most other donors, IDA bases its country envelopes on a formal performance assessment, the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA). This paper takes the CPIA instrument as given. It outlines the process of estimating country ratings with special reference to the (Sub-Saharan) Africa Region, and addresses a number of questions concerning (a) how the CPIA compares with other ratings, (b) the relationship between the CPIA and country performance, and (c) the likely errors of CPIA-type ratings and their implications for disclosure and performance-based allocation of development assistance. CPIA estimates are broadly correlated with the rankings of a number of other indicators, including the Kaufmann, Kraay and Zoido-Lobaton (KKZ) governance indicators and the Heritage Foundation's Economic Freedom Indicator. The closest association is found with the similar, but independently estimated, performance index of the African Development Bank. Comparing African countries ...
India has emerged as a leader in building on its biometric digital ID (Aadhaar) to reform service... more India has emerged as a leader in building on its biometric digital ID (Aadhaar) to reform service and program delivery. It moved quickly to consolidate the rollout of Aadhaar, and then to embed the unique Aadhaar number into program databases. A range of applications, including digital signature and payments, was then constructed on top of the Aadhaar foundation (the India Stack). Together with partners, the Center for Global Development is analyzing the effects of Aadhaar-based reforms. India offers lessons for many other countries as their focus evolves from rolling out an ID system towards using it to improve the efficiency and inclusivity of service delivery. Some programs using Aadhaar are federally administered but others are implemented at state level. It is already clear that some states and sectors are reforming better than others, generally because of better design of the digital reforms or stronger capacity to implement them. The three programs we discuss below highlight ...