http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERTY/Resources/WDR/Background/yaqub.pdf

This paper contributes to Chapter 2 of WDR 2000/1-specifically the part of the chapter which will argue that successful poverty reduction is related to public investment in basic health and education. Health and education capabilities of the poor are likely related to three aspects of public expenditure: 1/ the aggregate level of public expenditures devoted to social sectors, 2/ the distribution of that level of social expenditure across socioeconomic groups, and 3/ the efficiency of that spending. The first point about the impact of the level of public social sector expenditures on human capabilites is a debated point because not all studies have found an empirical link between the two. This leads to the question whether the second and third points, about equity and efficiency in spending, explain why aggregate public social spending may have varied outcomes across countires.