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This paper tries to uncover some of the hidden factors behind poor public service delivery in the Dominican Republic. By looking at three sector cases, education, health and electricity, it is possible to observe that in this setting of low quality of public services the "middle class" is opting out from the system and adopting private solutions to collective problems. The combination of this opting out behavior with low levels of institutional trust, especially among "middle class" members, fragmented interests and clientelism, among other factors, results in weak collective action and lack of effective demand for improvements in service provision. Some of the tentative policy options to break this sub-optimal equilibrium are i) to build capacity in civil society organizations and help them forming a pro-reform coalition, ii) reduce the gap between the middle class and the poorer by trying to improve the provision of public goods and enlarging the welfare state, and (iii) increase transparency mechanisms and introduce e-government formulas in order to optimize the allocation of public resources.

Civil society organizations --- Health Monitoring & Evaluation --- Middle class --- Political Economy --- Population Policies --- Pro-reform coalition --- Public goods --- Public Sector Development --- Public Sector Economics --- Public Sector Expenditure Policy --- Public service delivery

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For almost a century, the Dominican Republic has faced considerable governance and corruption challenges. High levels of corruption were present long time ago, and still prevail today, even if their characteristics and manifestations have changed. Rule of law has been weak for a long time, and generally government effectiveness has not been high. By contrast, the country has performed better in terms of progress on fundamental political and civil liberties, and thus relatively speaking it rates satisfactorily in terms of voice and accountability. Civil society faces an enabling environment within which they can operate. Against such background, the innovative and participatory anti-corruption participatory initiative (IPAC) to improve governance and combat corruption is assessed, taking a relatively broad governance perspective. The paper does not attempt to provide an exhaustive evaluation of all aspects of the single initiative, but its aim is to contribute to the analysis and debate about the benefits and challenges of participatory initiatives promoting good governance and anti-corruption, in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, while also concretely identifying possible follow-up initiatives. The first section provides in brief some of the general antecedents on the evolution of governance and corruption in the Dominican Republic. The second section discusses the IPAC strategy. The third and fourth sections present authors views on IPAC's achievements and shortcomings, respectively. The concluding section provides some follow-up recommendations.

Bribery --- Civil Society --- Corruption --- Democratic Government --- Ethics --- Governance --- National Governance --- Political Will --- Politics and Government --- Public Sector Development --- Social Accountability --- Social Development

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Countries around the world are facing the need to build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. There has never been a more important moment to tackle this agenda, as countries grapple with increasing fragility and migration flows, more complex service delivery requirements, and greater demands for transparency and inclusion, all in a more resource-constrained environment. Moreover, the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic crisis has provided new evidence of the need for effective, accountable, and inclusive government responses. Governments' capacity to respond to these complex challenges is understandably stretched, but this has not limited the rise of citizens' expectations. Instead, it has often increased tensions and, in some cases, has affected the trust between governments and their citizens. This publication builds on the World Bank's vast engagement across ECA and on the 2019 regional governance conference. It consists of six chapters, each corresponding to one of the governance areas around which governments across the world organize their institutional functions. Each chapter contains background and analysis by World Bank specialists, complemented by country case studies authored by regional experts and policymakers.

Accountability --- Administrative Reform --- Anticorruption --- Gender --- Gender and Governance --- Governance --- National Governance --- Political Economy --- Public Policy --- Public Procurement --- Public Sector Development --- Public-Private Partnerships --- State-Owned Enterprises --- Transparency