Malcolm D. Rowat

TL;DR: Public sector reform in both Latin American and Caribbean countries has become a high priority for governments in their search for a new role for the state as discussed by the authors. Common principles have included the objective to privatize, or contract out services or responsibilities where the private sector has a comparative advantage while at the same time improving government efficiency in areas that are considered core government functions at different levels of government.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a theoretical framework for analyzing reforms in the role of the state and assess the Latin America experience in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of core government functions at all levels of government (e.g. human resource management, financial management, tax and customs administration and cross-sectoral service delivery).