ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some research questions related to pockets of effectiveness (PoE) based on the comparative analysis of the case studies. It focuses on the processes and mechanisms through which PoE emerge and persist, as well as the necessary conditions under which they do so. The chapter discusses the potential of PoE for triggering more comprehensive public sector reform, what they teach us about externally induced public sector reform programmes and the impact of PoE on state-society relations more generally. It also discusses three categories of factors that best explain how PoE emerge, such as organizational strength, organizational culture and organizational proactivity. Organizational proactivity includes the factors political management and organizational autonomy, which are closely interrelated as well as, for scale effectiveness, outreach and cooperation. The chapter also presents three strategies that PoE used to survive, such as the 'president's strategy', the 'effectiveness strategy' and the 'legitimate referencing strategy', and one factor that is 'foundational legacy'.
