Governance and the Law World Development Report - World Bank (2017)

This World Development Report tries to unpack the relationship between governance and power and the impact this has on policy making. To do so, it addresses the following questions: (1) why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted or implemented?, (2) when they are, why do they often fail to generate development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity?, and (3) why do some bad policies endure? Through analysis and evaluation of these questions, this World Bank report argues that governance has the capability to moderate power imbalances to bring about more effective policy interventions. The report shows how, through processes of elite bargaining and greater citizen engagement, the preferences of power holders can sometimes be reshaped in favour of good outcomes that take into account the needs and interests of previously excluded stakeholders.  International actors can also support rules that strengthen coalitions for reform to help achieve more sustainable improvements in security, growth, and equity.