East Timor : Policy Challenges for a New Nation

World Bank

East Timor : Policy Challenges for a New Nation

Autores

World Bank

Editor

Washington, DC

Descripción

The main challenge facing East Timor, is how to reconcile a simultaneous existence of acute poverty and severe shortage of human management skills, with solid prospects of future flows from the country's natural resource wealth. Policies to meet these two priorities - sustained poverty and sound management of natural resources - are the focus of this report. It looks at the pressing concerns of managing the economic transition from the United Nationals Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) within the next two years; at the issue of wealth creation and the need to enhance the private investment climate; at the need to devise a framework for saving the oil and gas revenues; at the importance of raising human development standards; at the limited number of qualified personnel able to formulate high priority development objectives, compounded by the need to build effective governance; and, at the overwhelming incidence of poverty in rural areas, and the strong correlation between consumption poverty, and low levels of education. In setting a strategy for growth and poverty reduction, the report highlights the importance of maintaining the prevailing efforts at raising farm incomes, and productivity, while improving the quality of rural education, and health facilities, including a tax policy vision that can play a role to avoid exacerbating urban bias. On improving the business environment, there is need for capacity building, and micro-finance programs, but within an adequate legal framework, and prudential regulations. The administrative priorities would require enhanced citizen monitoring on government performance, with an input in public services to improve transparency - which would emerge from an assessment of cost, effectiveness, and capacity.

Palabras clave

ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTING, ACCOUNTING STANDARDS, ADB, AGED, AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, AGRICULTURE, AUDITING, BANKRUPTCY, BUSINESS CYCLES, BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, CAPITAL BASE, CIVIL SERVICE, CLIMATE, COMMUNITY LEVEL, COMPETITIVENESS, CONCESSIONAL LENDING, CONSUMERS, CONSUMPTION POVERTY, COUNTRY COMPARISONS, CROWDING OUT, DEBT, DEFICIT FINANCING, DEPOSITS, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, DONOR ASSISTANCE, DONOR COMMUNITY, DUAL ECONOMY, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, ECONOMIC COOPERATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT, ECONOMIC MEMORANDUM, EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE, EMPLOYMENT, EXCHANGE RATE, EXPENDITURES, EXPLOITATION, FAMILIES, FISCAL POLICY, FISCAL YEAR, FISHERIES, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD INSECURITY, FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD SECURITY, FOREIGN BANKS, FOREIGN EXCHANGE, FORESTRY, GDP, GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HEALTH PLANS, HEALTH POLICY, HEALTH PROBLEMS, HEALTH SERVICES, HEALTH STATUS, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HOUSING, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, ILLITERACY, IMMUNIZATION, IMPORT TARIFFS, IMPORTS, INCOME, INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS, ISOLATION, LABOR MARKET, LEGAL FRAMEWORK, LEGISLATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIVING STANDARD, LONG TERM, MALARIA, MANAGERS, MARKET PRICES, MARKETING, MICROFINANCE, MIGRATION, MINIMUM WAGES, MONETARY POLICY, MORTALITY, NATURAL RESOURCES, OIL, OPERATING COSTS, OPPORTUNITY COST, OVERALL EXPENDITURE, POLICY FRAMEWORK, POLICY RESPONSE, POOR COUNTRIES, POTENTIAL INVESTORS, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRODUCERS, PRODUCTIVITY, PUBLIC DEBATE, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC RESOURCES, PUBLIC SECTOR, PURCHASING POWER, REAL GDP, REDUCING POVERTY, REFUGEES, REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, REGULATORY SYSTEM, RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, RURAL AREAS, RURAL ECONOMY, SAVINGS, SERVICE DELIVERY, SHORT TERM, SOCIAL COSTS, SOCIAL INDICATORS, SUSTAINABLE USE, TASK TEAM LEADER, TAX ADMINISTRATION, TAXATION, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TERTIARY EDUCATION, TIME FRAME, TRANSPORT, URBAN AREAS, URBAN SERVICES, VALUE ADDED, VIOLENCE, WAGES, WASTE, WATER METERS, WEALTH, WEALTH CREATION COUNTRY ECONOMIC WORK, ABSOLUTE POVERTY, RURAL POVERTY, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES, HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY, CAPACITY BUILDING, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, POLICY FRAMEWORK, TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE, PRIVATE INVESTMENTS, INVESTOR CONFIDENCE, ADMINISTRATIVE CONSTRAINTS, CIVIL SERVICE, CIVIL STRIFE ASSISTANCE, GOVERNANCE CAPACITY, EDUCATION & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ACCESS TO EDUCATION, QUALITY OF EDUCATION, ECONOMIC GROWTH, POVERTY REDUCTION, FARM INCOME, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, FOOD SECURITY, HEALTH CARE DELIVERY, OIL & GAS RESERVES, FISCAL POLICY, LEGAL FRAMEWORK, PRUDENTIAL REGULATIONS, TAX POLICY, BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, MICROFINANCE, ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITY, MONITORING CRITERIA, PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY, COST-EFFECTIVENESS