A large body of literature has shown that corruption impacts both economic growth and development through multiple channels, such as those related to financial stability, investments in physical and human capital, productivity. Corruption also impacts public trust and the efficiency of government. This book highlights the critical importance of governance and integrity. It suggests that the establishment of sound institutions that guarantee integrity in public affairs may be one of sub-Saharan African's most important milestones in its journey to sustainable development. The book leverages extensive analysis at the cross-country level to provide global evidence and country case studies focusing on the macro-governance links in sub-Saharan Africa. Chapters bring in the COVID-19 pandemic perspective, making this book the first attempt to provide a comprehensive view of the relationships between the quality of institutions and the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book argues that the approach to institutional reforms needs to consider the starting position of countries and calls for tailored approaches in fragile countries to consider capacity constraints and societal preferences. It shows how successful reform paths in normal settings become systematically inefficient in fragile environments. This path dependency also applies to the adoption of technological innovations in public affairs. Finally, the book looks at new governance reforms supported by the IMF in sub-Saharan Africa.

This book is one of the first attempts to analyze how developing countries through the early twenty-first century have established systems of social protection, and how these systems have been affected by the processes of globalization and democratization. The book focuses on Latin America to identify factors associated with the evolution of welfare state policies during the pre-globalization period prior to 1979, whilst studying how globalization and democratization have affected governments' fiscal commitment to social spending. In contrast with the Western European experience, more developed welfare systems evolved in countries relatively closed to international trade, while the recent process of globalization that has swept the region has put substantial downward pressure on social security expenditures. Health and education spending has been relatively protected from greater exposure to international markets and has actually increased substantially with the shift to democracy.

This book is one of the first attempts to analyze how developing countries through the early twenty-first century have established systems of social protection, and how these systems have been affected by the processes of globalization and democratization. The book focuses on Latin America to identify factors associated with the evolution of welfare state policies during the pre-globalization period prior to 1979, whilst studying how globalization and democratization have affected governments' fiscal commitment to social spending. In contrast with the Western European experience, more developed welfare systems evolved in countries relatively closed to international trade, while the recent process of globalization that has swept the region has put substantial downward pressure on social security expenditures. Health and education spending has been relatively protected from greater exposure to international markets and has actually increased substantially with the shift to democracy.