Does greater accountability improve the quality of delivery of public services? Evidence from Uganda

While the importance of corruption as a possible impediment to foreign investment in an international context is now well realized, it is not clear to what extent corruption affects, either directly through bribe-taking or indirectly through inadequate quality of public services, the level of economic activity by domestic entrepreneurs. Using a large survey from Uganda, the authors show that domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, government officials, and households are unanimous in highlighting the pervasiveness and importance of corruption. Efforts to establish institutions to deal with corrupt practices have not been matched by public education on the proper procedures. The fact that such lack of knowledge on procedures to report corruption increases households'risk of being subject to bribery and significantly reduces the quality of public service delivery leads the authors to conclude that improved accountability will be important to reduce the incidence of corruption and improve delivery of public services.Decentralization,Enterprise Development&Reform,Corruption&Anitcorruption Law,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Corruption&Anitcorruption Law,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,TF054599-PHRD-KYRGYZ REPUBLIC: WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT,Governance Indicators,National Governance

Economic and Welfare Effects of the Abolition of Health User Fees : Evidence from Uganda

The authors use household level data for Uganda for 1999-2000 and 2002-03, before and after the abolition of user fees for public health services, to explore the effect of this policy on different groups'ability to access health services and morbidity outcomes. They find that the policy change improved access and reduced the probability of sickness in a way that was particularly beneficial to the poor. Although the challenge of maintaining service quality remains, aggregate benefits are estimated to be significantly larger than the estimated shortfalls from the abolition of user fees.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Health Promotion,Pharmaceuticals&Pharmacoeconomics,Health Systems Development&Reform,Housing&Human Habitats,Health Systems Development&Reform,Housing&Human Habitats,Pharmaceuticals&Pharmacoeconomics,Poverty Assessment,Health Monitoring&Evaluation

LAND MARKETS IN UGANDA: INCIDENCE, IMPACT AND EVOLUTION OVER TIME

Although there is broad agreement that well functioning land rental markets will play an important role to increase productivity and household welfare as agrarian economies develop, evidence from Africa on the actual performance and impact of such markets is limited. We use data from Uganda to test for differences in the performance of rental, as compared to sales markets and their evolution over time, based on a framework where markets are affected by differences in ability and imperfections in rural labor and capital markets. We find that land markets are very active, that land rental but not sales markets transfer land to more efficient and relatively poor producers thereby providing an opportunity for the landless to access land, and that rental market activity has increased recently with economic growth. Despite land prices in some regions being above the net present value of land we find no evidence for sales markets leading to land concentration and conclude that, rather than imposing administrative restrictions, government should aim to improve access to alternative savings instruments.Land Economics/Use,

Female Education, Contraceptive Use, and Fertility: Evidence from Uganda

We use the Demographic and Health Survey of 2006 to examine the relationship between female education, contraceptive use, and fertility rates in Uganda. Our findings reveal that female education, especially at the secondary and post-secondary levels, increases the likelihood of using contraceptives and reduces fertility. As a result, measures that aim to educate women beyond secondary level are needed. The government programme to extend free education at the secondary level is an important measure that may help to reduce fertility and should therefore be strengthened

LAND MARKETS IN UGANDA: INCIDENCE, IMPACT AND EVOLUTION OVER TIME

Although there is broad agreement that well functioning land rental markets will play an important role to increase productivity and household welfare as agrarian economies develop, evidence from Africa on the actual performance and impact of such markets is limited. We use data from Uganda to test for differences in the performance of rental, as compared to sales markets and their evolution over time, based on a framework where markets are affected by differences in ability and imperfections in rural labor and capital markets. We find that land markets are very active, that land rental but not sales markets transfer land to more efficient and relatively poor producers thereby providing an opportunity for the landless to access land, and that rental market activity has increased recently with economic growth. Despite land prices in some regions being above the net present value of land we find no evidence for sales markets leading to land concentration and conclude that, rather than imposing administrative restrictions, government should aim to improve access to alternative savings instruments