Results-based financing (RBF), the umbrella term for mechanisms like pay for success (PFS), can be appealing for improving outcomes in developing countries, which often face tight fiscal constraints and limited capacities to implement public programs. However, shifting political priorities can make sustaining these investments challenging. This is where trust-building and community involvement are integral to encouraging buy-in and promoting sustainability.

With support from the World Bank in 2014, the Jamaican government designed an RBF program to improve solid waste management in 18 low-income communities. The Vision 2030 National Development Plan for Jamaica highlighted effective waste management as a main priority for the country. Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, produces approximately 420,000 tons of waste per year—almost one ton of waste per person. In order to effectively manage this volume of waste, Jamaica’s National Solid Waste Management Agency (NSWMA) would need additional resources; successful waste collection has been undercut by a lack of trucks, insufficient waste infrastructure, and budget cuts of close to $54 million that took place in 2013.