Lives in the Balance: Improving Accountability for Public Spending in Developing Nations

In Lives in the Balance: Improving Accountability for Public Spending in Developing Nations (Brookings Press, 2010) authors Charles C. Griffin, David de Ferranti and Courtney Tolmie, along with Justin Jacinto, Graeme Ramshaw and Chinyere Bun, put public spending by developing countries under the microscope. Much has been written about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the huge sums of foreign assistance to developing countries. Despite these outside contributions, most developing countries finance 80 percent or more of their own health and education spending. The book examines this landscape in its totality—and how best to ensure that public spending, including aid money, gets to the right destination.

On November 8, Global Economy and Development at Brookings and the Results for Development Institute hosted a discussion of Lives in the Balance with authors Charles Griffin, senior adviser for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank and Courtney Tolmie, senior program officer with the Results for Development Institute. Following their presentations, a panel featuring Warren Krafchik, director of the International Budget Partnership, Joseph Asunka, former research and program officer at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development; and Jorge Quiroga, former president of Bolivia, discussed the future steps, and the challenges to strengthening the demand for better governance in the developing world.

Brookings Senior Fellow Daniel Kaufmann moderated the session. After the program, the participants took audience questions. A reception followed the event.