Latest Resources
Briefing | Malawi | More than just ‘demand’: Malawi’s public-service community scorecard
Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Governance and MDG, Public Administration, Civil SocietyCommunity-based monitoring instruments, such as scorecards, are used increasingly to complement and reinforce conventional mechanisms to strengthen accountability and performance in public-service delivery. While they have been backed by the international community, there is limited evidence on how they work in practice and what conditions they need to be effective. This Project Briefing seeks...
The Benefits of a Big Tent: Opening Up Government in Developing Countries
Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Public Administration, Academic/Think TankBringing open data and open government under a single banner, Yu and Robinson argue, leads to conceptual muddling that ultimately impedes progress for both projects. They express a concern that superficial commitments to open data “can placate the public’s appetite for transparency.” Drawing on our experiences with the Kenya Open Data Initiative and the Open Government Partnership, we argue...
Unseeing Eyes: Media Coverage and Gender in Latin American Elections
Civil Society, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Governance and Gender, Latin America and the Carribean, Media, Public Administration, Inter-Governmental Organization, UN Women, Civil SocietyUnseeing Eyes: Media Coverage and Gender in Latin American Elections In a society where mass media is the main venue for political information and electoral competition, limited visibility during a campaign can be challenging to a candidate and limit the possibilities of being elected. This study covers five countries in Latin America and identifies differences and inequalities that women...
Estadísticas de Educación de los Países Centroamericanos
Civil Society, Latin America and the Carribean, Public Administration, Report, Civil SocietyCon este número 10, la Secretaría General de la CECC logra avanzar en la publicación de las estadísticas de Educación del Área más recientes y espera continuar con esta importante publicación con el apoyo de los Ministerios de Educación y reducir el plazo de su publicación a partir de la conclusión del curso lectivo. Es pertinente destacar el esfuerzo que hacen los países para irse...
Index of Economic Freedom: Executive Highlights
Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Civil Society, Europe and CIS, Global Index, Latin America and the Carribean, Public Administration, Civil SocietyThe 2010 Index of Economic Freedom covers 183 countries around the world, ranking 179 of them with an economic freedom score based on 10 measures of economic openness, regulatory efficiency, the rule of law, and competitiveness. The basic principles of economic freedom emphasized in the Index are individual empowerment, equitable treatment, and the promotion of competition. The results...
The African Peer Review Mechanism: lessons from the pioneers
Africa, Book, Civil Society, Democracy, Human Rights, Public Administration, Academic/Think TankWithout doubt, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is one of the boldest ideas that African leaders have come up with in the recent past. It is potentially the most important reform ever to emerge from the continent and may mark the start of a new kind of African diplomacy. This book is therefore intended as a guide that would both analyse the internal dynamics of the APRM and offer...
The role of civil society in decentralisation and alleviating poverty - An exploratory case study from Tanzania
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Local Governance and Decentralization, Public Administration, Academic/Think TankIn many developing countries decentralisation efforts have been planned and implemented as a means to improve service delivery to all citizens, to increase citizen participation, and to improve good governance at the sub-national level. However, until recently, poverty reduction has not been a central feature of decentralisation measures until recently. Donors have begun to realise the...
Responding to the Challenges of Supreme Audit Institutions: can Legislatures and Civil Society Help?
Civil Society, Public Administration, Report, Civil SocietyThe gaps between approved budgets and the realisation of policy development goals are among the key governance challenges in developing countries. Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) play a central role in holding governments accountable. This paper explores the challenges of accountability and suggests how SAIs can overcome them by building alliances with parliaments, civil society...
The APRM in Algeria: a critical assessment
Africa, Civil Society, Governance and MDG, Public Administration, Report, Civil SocietyAlgeria was one of the initiators of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). This report is about the APRM self assessment by Algeria. It states that although the assessment can be described as having been a technical success, it faced some structural problems due to lack of democracy and respect for public...
Survey of donor approaches to governance assessment
Civil Society, Public Administration, Report, Inter-Governmental OrganizationBilateral and multilateral development agencies have engaged intensively in assessing governance over the last decade. This survey of donor approaches to governance assessments was produced in order to explore opportunities for increased harmonization and alignment in this area. The survey reported here focuses on general and thematic governance assessment approaches used...