This issue of the Zambia Social Science Journal examines educational and economic issues in Sudan and South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. In the first article, Bruno Yawe looks at the technical efficiency of Uganda's primary schools over period from 1995 to 2009. The study focuses on immediate education outputs, demonstrating that Uganda's primary schools are technically inefficient. The next article, by Longinus Rutasitara, surveys the feasibility of taxing the informal sector in developing countries, focusing on Tanzania as a case study. As Rutasitara explains, the expansion of the tax base may be enhanced by supporting the productive capacities of informal sector activities through innovative formalisation interventions. Because of the heterogeneity of the informal sector, it is shown that studying the impact of formalisation interventions and tax compliance behaviour selection may be made up of specific activities (informal sector sub-sectors). This will lead to the better management of research, as well as the design and implementation of tax regimes for the informal sector.Moving to Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan, Alemayehu Geda and Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa argue for macroeconomic cooperation to ensure the mutual viability of the two countries. The article discusses the macroeconomic challenges and opportunities facing Sudan and South Sudan following their mutual separation in July 2011. The article argues that close economic cooperation borne out of the realisation of economic interdependence and geographical and cultural proximity should be a central feature of economic policy for both countries.Heading back to Uganda for the final article, Bernadette Nambi Karuhanga and Amanda Werner examine factors for successful performance management implementation in the universities of Uganda. The findings from the mixed-methods approach show that the factors necessary for successful performance management implementation can be categorised into five principal components, namely: (i) performance framework, performance culture, and employee support; (ii) an individual performance management system; (iii) alignment; (iv) smart goal setting; and (v) tangible and intangible measures.