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This paper assesses the efficiency of government expenditure on education and health in 38 countries in Africa in 1984-95, both in relation to each other and compared with countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere. The results show that, on average, countries in Africa are less efficient than countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere; however, education and health spending in Africa became more efficient during that period. The assessment further suggests that improvements in educational attainment and health output in African countries require more than just higher budgetary allocations.

Public Finance --- National Government Expenditures and Health --- National Government Expenditures and Education --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Education: General --- Health: General --- Public finance & taxation --- Education --- Health economics --- Expenditure --- Education spending --- Health care spending --- Health --- Expenditures, Public --- Burkina Faso

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Consumption in China is unusually low and has continued to decline as a share of GDP over the past decade. A key policy question is how to reverse this trend, and rebalance growth away from reliance on exports and investment and toward consumption. This paper investigates whether the sizable increase in government social spending in recent years lowered precautionary saving and increased consumption. The main findings are that spending on health, but not education, had an impact on household behavior. The impact, moreover, is large. A one yuan increase in government health spending is associated with a two yuan increase in urban household consumption.

Consumption (Economics) --- Economics --- Macroeconomics --- Public Finance --- National Government Expenditures and Health --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Macroeconomics: Consumption --- Saving --- Wealth --- Aggregate Factor Income Distribution --- National Government Expenditures and Education --- Public finance & taxation --- Health care spending --- Expenditure --- Consumption --- Income --- Education spending --- Expenditures, Public --- China, People's Republic of

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This paper, using Moldova as an example, presents a systematic approach to assess the efficiency and equity of public education spending, identify sources of inefficiencies and inequality, and formulate potential reform options. The analytical framework combines international benchmarking with country-specific analysis—such as microeconomic analysis based on household survey data—and can provide important insights into diagnosing and reforming education systems. The analysis finds significant scope to improve both efficiency and equity of the education sector in Moldova. Potential reform measures include further consolidating the oversized school network, reducing overstaffing, and better targeting government subsidies. The current remuneration policy could also be improved to attract high quality teachers and incentivize performance.

Labor --- Public Finance --- Demography --- National Government Expenditures and Education --- Education and Inequality --- Education: Government Policy --- Education: General --- Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Demographic Economics: General --- Education --- Public finance & taxation --- Labour --- income economics --- Population & demography --- Education spending --- Wages --- Expenditure --- Population and demographics --- Expenditures, Public --- Population --- Moldova, Republic of

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This paper uses a dynamic general equilibrium model calibrated to Ugandan data to examine the welfare effects of alternative scenarios of government expenditure and tax financing. Two expenditure types are considered: social spending that affects human capital, and infrastructure expenditures that affect productivity. The paper finds that social expenditures lead to higher economic growth depending on the form of financing; young generations benefit most from social spending financed by consumption taxes; agents do not substitute between human and physical capital as a result of changes in expenditure composition; and improving the productivity of fiscal expenditure is both growth and welfare enhancing.

Labor --- Public Finance --- Taxation --- Fiscal Policy --- National Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Human Capital --- Skills --- Occupational Choice --- Labor Productivity --- National Government Expenditures and Health --- Business Taxes and Subsidies --- National Government Expenditures and Education --- Public finance & taxation --- Labour --- income economics --- Expenditure --- Human capital --- Health care spending --- Consumption taxes --- Education spending --- Taxes --- Expenditures, Public --- Spendings tax --- Uganda

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Inequality in Uganda rose during 1989–95, although this rise moderated in 1993–95. In 1993–95, real food consumption became more equal. Regional and urban-rural disparities in income and variations in income accruing to individuals with different educational levels principally explain “between group inequality.” While informal safety nets appear to work for Ugandan middle-class families, a lack of mutual insurance among poor production workers and farmers accentuates the inequality trends. An expansion of formal safety nets would help this segment of the population. The intrasectoral allocation and benefit incidence of expenditures on education and health can be improved to reduce inequality.

Macroeconomics --- Public Finance --- National Government Expenditures and Health --- National Government Expenditures and Education --- National Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs --- Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: General --- Aggregate Factor Income Distribution --- Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions --- Macroeconomics: Consumption --- Saving --- Wealth --- National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General --- Public finance & taxation --- Income inequality --- Personal income --- Income distribution --- Consumption --- Expenditure --- National accounts --- Income --- Economics --- Expenditures, Public --- Uganda