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The role of the State and the quality of the public sector

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  • Tanzi, Vito

Abstract

Sectoral policies make explicit and implicit assumptions about the behaviour and capabilities of the agents (such as dynamic responses to market signals, demand-led assistance, collaborative efforts, participation in financing); which we consider to be rather unrealistic. Because of this lack of realism, policies that aim to be neutral often turn out to be highly exclusive. They fail to give sufficient importance to the special features of the sector -with its high climatic, biological and commercial risks and its slow adaptation- or to the fact that those who take decisions in agriculture are now mostly in an inferior position because of their incomes below the poverty line, their inadequate training, their traditions based on centuries of living in precarious conditions, and their geographical location in marginal areas, far from infrastructure and with only a minimum of services and sources of information. These people have only scanty and imperfect access to the markets which, according to the prevailing model, should govern decisions and the (re);distribution of the factors of production. In our opinion, this explains the patchy and lower-than-expected growth registered by the sector after the reforms to promote the liberalization of markets and external openness in the region. In view of the results of the application of the new model, it may be wondered whether Latin America can afford a form of development which excludes over half of its agricultural producers; what the alternatives are; and what costs and benefits each of them offers in terms of production and monetary, social, spatial and other aspects. The article outlines the changes in policies and their results at the aggregate level, summarizes the arguments usually put forward to explain agricultural performance in the region, and proposes a second set of explanations based on a description of the agents and the responses that may be expected from them, contrasting the latter with the supposedly neutral nature of the policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanzi, Vito, 2000. "The role of the State and the quality of the public sector," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 34714, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    • Handle: RePEc:ecr:col093:34714
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lora, Eduardo & Márquez, Gustavo, 1998. "The Employment Problem in Latin America: Perceptions and Stylized Facts," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 1286, Inter-American Development Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: Expenditure Responsibilities of Local Governments," CEMA Working Papers 550, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    2. Kalonga Stambuli, 2002. "State Hegemony, Macroeconomic effects and Private Enterprise in Malawi," Public Economics 0211001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Mr. Guiseppe Pisauro, 2001. "Intergovernmental Relations and Fiscal Discipline: Between Commons and Soft Budget Constraints," IMF Working Papers 2001/065, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: Challenges and Policy Options," CEMA Working Papers 549, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    5. Ahmet Kara, 2009. "An applied stochastic model of the quality–quantity trade-off in the public health care sector," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 277-289, March.
    6. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Li Zhang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: Policy Options," CEMA Working Papers 554, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    7. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: The performance of China's decentralization system," CEMA Working Papers 553, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    8. Mr. Qing Wang & Mr. Ugo Fasano-Filho, 2001. "Fiscal Expenditure Policy and Non-Oil Economic Growth: Evidence from GCC Countries," IMF Working Papers 2001/195, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Kalonga Stambuli, 2002. "Political Change, Economic Transition and Catalysis of IMF and World Bank Models - the case of Malawi," Macroeconomics 0211003, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: Intergovernmental transfers," CEMA Working Papers 552, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    11. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2012. "A Treaties on Public Finance in China," CEMA Working Papers 555, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    12. Dick Durevall, 2001. "Reform of the Malawian Public Sector: Incentives, Governance and Accountability," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2001-109, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    13. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qian & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2006. "Local Public Finance in China: Revenues of Local Governments," CEMA Working Papers 551, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    14. Jorge Martinez & Baoyun Qiao & Shuilin Wang & Heng-fu Zou, 2014. "An Essay on Public Finance in China," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 15(1), pages 413-519, May.

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