?Financial Management Information Systems: 25 Years of World Bank Experience on What Works and What Doesn?t? was prepared as an updated and expanded version of the FMIS review report drafted in 2003, to highlight the achievements and challenges observed during the design and implementation of Bank funded FMIS projects since 1984.

This paper presents findings of the Third Review under the poverty reduction and growth facility arrangement for Kenya. The sharp spending increase budgeted for 2007/08 could exert pressures on domestic prices and compromise project quality, but the authorities are taking steps to mitigate these risks. Authorities are committed to fully implementing the budget only if nonfood inflation remains low and project quality is maintained. Some aspects of governance have improved, but challenges remain. Structural reforms in public financial management need to be broadened and financial sector reforms accelerated.

Increasingly the role of management and governance is recognized as important for providing and delivering effective services at all levels of education. In view of the growing demand for more and better services at secondary education levels, these are crucial issues that must be addressed urgently. Sub-Saharan Africa's secondary education and training systems must become more efficient and more effective. The current (unit) costs of junior and senior secondary education in most African countries prevent massive expansion of post-primary education. This demands a holistic approach to governance and management issues. In parallel, there is a demand from civil society and governments for greater accountability. This study aims to present best practices and identify sustainable development plans for expansion and improved quality and efficiency in the delivery of secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa through better governance, management, and accountability.

This 2001 Article IV Consultation highlights that Kenya’s economic performance during the past decade has been well below its potential. This reflects the failure to sustain prudent macroeconomic policies and the slow pace of structural reform. Consequently, Kenya’s real per capita GDP is now lower than it was in 1990, and poverty is much more prevalent. Executive Directors have commended the authorities for achieving a measure of macroeconomic stability during recent years, in difficult circumstances. To help obtain tangible results, they have stressed the importance of departing from the “stop-go” policies of the 1990s.

Budgeting and budgetary institutions play a critical role in resource allocation, government accountability, and improved fiscal and social outcomes. This volume distills lessons from practices in designing better fiscal institutions, citizen friendly budgets, and open and transparent processes of budget preparation and execution. It also highlights newer concepts of performance budgeting, accrual accounting, activity based costing, and the use of information and communication technology in budgeting. These tools of analysis are supplemented by a review of budgeting in post-conflict countries and two country case studies on the reform of budgeting systems.

Presently, we stand on the threshold of a technological revolution that will drastically change the way we live, work, and communicate with each other. By the current rate, scope, and complexity, this transformation will be as fundamental for society as any other technological paradigm change from the past. The industries which are more susceptible to change are technologically oriented industries including banking, finance, accounting, and auditing. One of the technological concepts of the technological revolution is the concept of the digital twin. The application of digital twins and AI as paired with Internet of Things technologies makes it possible to solve ESG problems on a completely different level (Li, 2019) for accounting firms and financial institutions. These include recycling on demand, rational energy consumption, smart surveillance cameras for crime tracking, and smart branch parking solutions, monitoring the wear and tear and conditions of financial technology infrastructures. Moreover, numerous researchers and practitioners emphasize the significance of innovating sustainable business models and operations (Geissdoerfer et al., 2018). The digital twin will allow businesses and financial institutions to minimize costs, boost customer service, and find new ways to generate revenue. DTW is accessible now more than ever, and many reputable and innovative companies such as Tesla, Ericsson, and Siemens have adopted it with varying success. Therefore, this book examines the opportunities, challenges, and risks of artificial intelligence-augmented digital twins for financial operations, innovation, and sustainable development. It focuses on AI and digital twin technologies to furnish solutions for the current industrial revolution including the Metaverse. Henceforth, this book aims to encourage authors to submit multi-disciplinary chapters indicating the current scholarly challenges about the applications and potential of artificial intelligence and digital twins in accounting, finance, and banking.

Kenya adopted a new Constitution and began the process of devolution in 2010. The new Constitution was the institutional response to longstanding grievances over the centralization of state powers and public sector resources, and regional disparities in service delivery and development outcomes. This radical restructuring of the Kenyan state has three main objectives: decentralizing political power, public sector functions, and public finances; ensuring a more equitable spatial distribution of resources between regions; and promoting more accountable, participatory, and responsive government at all levels. The first elections under the new Constitution were held in 2013. Alongside the national government, 47 new county governments were established. Each county government is made up of a County Executive, headed by an elected Governor and works under the oversight of an elected County Assembly. Seven years after the "devolution train" left the station, this report takes stock of how devolution has affected the delivery of devolved basic services to Kenyan citizens. Whereas devolution was driven by political reform, the ensuing institutions and systems were expected to deliver greater socioeconomic equity through devolved service delivery. The Making Devolution Work for Service Delivery (MDWSD) study is the first major assessment of Kenya’s devolution reform. The study was a jointly coordinated effort by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank. The study provides key messages with respect to what is working, what is not working, and what could work better to enhance service delivery based on the currently available data. It provides an independent assessment of service delivery performance in five sectors, namely health, education, agriculture, urban, and water services and includes an in-depth review of the main pillars of devolved service delivery, namely public financial management, intergovernmental finance, human resource management, politics and accountability.