We know more about bad government in developing countries than we do about good government, thanks to a litany of stories and complaints. These include the familiar charges that public officials are out for private gain, governments overspend and overhire, clientelism trumps merit, public sector workers are poorly trained, and poorly designed programs lead to bribery instead of public service. Economists and social scientists have built their theories based on these richly chronicled behaviors, producing policy prescriptions designed to reduce the size of the public sector. Good Government in the Tropics draws on a detailed look at effective government in one Brazilian state to identify the flaws in mainstream thinking and the elements that can contribute to the development of good government in developing countries.
