Topic Report: Open Aid Data

7/31/2019 Topic Report: Open Aid Data

1/22

KeywordsOpenData,AidData,DevelopmentAid,Transparency,AidEffectiveness,Accountability

EuropeanPublicSectorInformationPlatform

TopicReportNo.2012/02

OpenDatainDevelopmentAid

Author:DanielDietrich

Published:March2012


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StateofPlay:Re-useofTransportData

ePSIplatform Topic Report No: 2012 / 02 March 2012 Page 2

AbstractThistopicreportfocusesonthequestionofhowimprovedaccesstoandanalysisofdata

canhelpincreasetransparency,accountabilityandeffectivenessindevelopmentaidand

developmentco-operation.Developmentaidandco-operationisacomplexissueand

subjecttomultiplein-depthstudiesandresearch.Thistopicreportcannotprovideacomprehensiveoverviewonthestateofplayinaidingeneral.Norcanthetopicreport

provideevidenceonthepolitical,economical,culturalandoverallsocietalimpactofaid.

Thistopicreportfocusesontherolethatdataandcomputingtechnologycanplayto

improveanalysismethodsandthusimproveourunderstandingofhowaidcanbemade

moreeffective.

Atthebeginningofthe21stcenturyithasbecomeapparentthatpromotingwidespread

andsustainabledevelopmentisnotonlydependentontheamountofaidgiven,butalso

onhowaidisgiven.Thereisabroadconsensuswithintheinternationalcommunitythat

merelyraisingthequantityofaidisnotenoughbutthatthequalityhastoimprove.ThisiswhatiscalledAidEffectivenessandrelies,amongstotherfactors,onincreasing

transparencyandaccountabilityinaid.

Theopeningofaiddatahasthepotentialtoincreasetransparencyandaccountabilitybut

alsocreatenovelwaysofcombiningdata.Accesstomoreandmoreeasilycomparabledata

canleadtobetterimpactanalysestounderstandtheeffectsofaid,tomoretargetedand

efficientinterventions,moreopennessandaccountability.Newtechnologiesandmethods

suchasgeocodingallowforthecreativecombinationofdatasets.Furthermore,creative

useofopendatacanincreaseengagedpublicparticipationindevelopmentaiddebates,be

itindonororrecipientcountries,thusincreasingitslegitimacyand,potentially,bettertargeting.

TheWorldBankandtheOECDhaveplayedapioneerrolewiththeirrecentreleaseofvast

amountsofdata1thatnow,forthefirsttimeinhistory,canbeanalysedandcontextualised

withotherdatasetssuchasstatisticaldataandindicatorsoftrade,economicgrowth,

health,orenvironmentaldata.Donorandrecipientgovernmentsandcivilsocietyactors

haveundertakenadditionaleffortsacrosstheworld.Effortsarealsounderwaytobring

differentapproachestogethertoensurecompatibility.Thepotentialswhichlieinthe

analysisofthisdatahavetodatenotyetbeenfullyexplored.Inmanyways,wehaveonly

seenthetipoftheiceberg.

1http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog


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Contents

1 ExecutiveSummary 3

2 Introduction 4

3 HistoricalContext 6

4 EffectivenessandTransparencyinAid 6

5 OpenDataforTransparencyandEffectivenessinAid 9

6 CurrentInitiatives 10

InternationalAidTransparencyInitiative(IATI) 11

CostBenefitAnalysisforIATI 11

IATIandNGOs 12

AidInfosIATIToolkit 13

WorldBankOpenDataInitiative 13

OECD-DACInternationalDevelopmentStatisticsDatabase 14

DonorGovernments 16

Non-GovernmentalDonors 16

RecipientCountries 17

Non-GovernmentalOrganisations 18

Otheractivities:Conferences&Hackathons 18

NewTools:GeocodingAidData 19

7 Conclusion 20

Appendix 21

1 ExecutiveSummaryThistopicreportfocusesonthequestionofhowimprovedaccesstoandanalysisofdata

canhelpincreasetransparency,accountabilityandeffectivenessindevelopmentaidand

developmentco-operation.Developmentaidandco-operationisacomplexissueand

subjecttomultiplein-depthstudiesandresearch.Thistopicreportcannotprovidea

comprehensiveoverviewonthestateofplayinaidingeneral.Norcanthetopicreport

provideevidenceonthepolitical,economical,culturalandoverallsocietalimpactofaid.

Thistopicreportfocusesontherolethatdataandcomputingtechnologycanplayto

improveanalysismethodsandthusimproveourunderstandingofhowaidcanbemade

moreeffective.

Atthebeginningofthe21stcenturyithasbecomeapparentthatpromotingwidespread

andsustainabledevelopmentisnotonlydependentontheamountofaidgiven,butalso

onhowaidisgiven.Thereisabroadconsensuswithintheinternationalcommunitythat

merelyraisingthequantityofaidisnotenoughbutthatthequalityhastoimprove.Thisis

whatiscalledAidEffectivenessandrelies,amongstotherfactors,onincreasing


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transparencyandaccountabilityinaid.

Theopeningofaiddatahasthepotentialtoincreasetransparencyandaccountabilitybut

alsocreatenovelwaysofcombiningdata.Accesstomoreandmoreeasilycomparabledata

canleadtobetterimpactanalysestounderstandtheeffectsofaid,tomoretargetedand

efficientinterventions,moreopennessandaccountability.Newtoolssuchasgeocoding

allowforthecreativecombinationofdatasets.Furthermore,creativeuseofopendatacan

increaseengagedpublicparticipationindevelopmentaiddebates,beitindonoror

recipientcountries,thusincreasingitslegitimacyand,potentially,bettertargeting.

TheWorldBankandtheOECDhaveplayedapioneerrolewiththeirrecentreleaseofvast

amountsofdata2thatnow,forthefirsttimeinhistory,canbeanalysedandcontextualised

withotherdatasetssuchasstatisticaldataandindicatorsoftrade,economicgrowth,

health,orenvironmentaldata.Donorandrecipientgovernmentsandcivilsocietyactors

haveundertakenadditionaleffortsacrosstheworld.Effortsarealsounderwaytobring

differentapproachestogethertoensurecompatibility.Thepotentialswhichlieinthe

analysisofthisdatahavetodatenotyetbeenfullyexplored.Inmanyways,wehaveonly

seenthetipoftheiceberg.

2 IntroductionDevelopmentAidiscomplexissueinvolvingamultitudeofplayerssuchasgovernmentsin

donorandrecipientcountries,newplayersfromemergingeconomies,multinational

corporations,philanthropists,internationalNGOsandcivilsociety.

Aidflowshavesignificantlyincreasedoverthepasttwodecades,butatthesametimeaid

hasbecomeincreasinglyfragmented.Therehasbeenanexplosioninthenumberof

donors,butwhilethenumberofprojectshasmultiplied,theiraveragesizehasdecreased.

Withmoreplayers,aidhasbecomelesspredictableandlesstransparent.Information,both

fromdonorsaswellasrecipients,isoftenpoor,incompleteanddifficulttocomparewith

otherdata,andbeneficiaries'feedbackandformalprojectevaluationsarerarelypublicly

accessible.

Therearemanydifferentgroupswhoareworkingtowardsgreateraidtransparencyand

accountability.Amongthesegroupsare:

Governmentsandstateadministrationinrecipientcountries,includingfinanceministrieswishingtoplantheirbudgetsbetterandotherlineministrieswhowant

toplantheiractivitieswiththeknowledgeofwhatmoneyisavailableandinco-

ordinationwithotheractors.

Parliamentarians,civilsocietyorganisationsandcitizensinrecipientcountries,whowanttoholdtheirgovernmentandotherinstitutionsdeliveringservices

accountable.

2http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog


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Donorsthemselves,whowantbetterinformationabouteachothersactivitiesandmoreharmonisationtoreduceduplicationandimprovesynergies,aswellas

reducingthegrowingburdenofreportingonanadhocbasis.

NGOsandcivilsocietyindonorcountries,whowanttoensurethatdonorsarekeepingtheirpromisesandusingaidwell.

Anti-corruptioncampaigners,whobelievethattransparencywillincreasetheamountofaidreceivedbyaidbeneficiaries,duetolessfundsbeingdiverted.

Advocatesforfreedomofinformation,whoarguethattaxpayershavetherighttoknowexactlyhowtheirmoneyisbeingspent.

Taxpayers,whoincreasinglywanttoknowhowtheirmoneyisspentandwanttocheckofficialinformation.

Academicswishingtostudytheeffectsofaid,andpointtowardshowitcanbeimproved.

FirmsandNGOsthatdeliverservices,whowantbetterinformationtoplannewinvestments.

Interestedmediarepresentatives TheOpenDataCommunityinrecipientanddonorsocietiesseekingcreative

solutionstore-usingdata

Thegovernanceofaidpresentsitselfascomplex,bureaucratizedandfragmented,with

evidentdiseconomiesofnumbersandcoordination,whichhaveledtoan increasein

transactioncosts.Thisistrueforrecipientcountries,whoareforcedtoneglecttheir

domesticobligationsinordertocopewithrequestsandmeetingswithdonors,butalsofor

thedonorsthemselves,andultimately,forthebeneficiaries.

Inspiteofthefactthattheinternationalcommunityhasraisedtheissueofaid

effectivenessintheParisDeclarationandthesubsequentAccraAgendaforAction,the

implementationofthisagendahasbeendifficult.Thispaperaimstolookatsomeofthe

waysinwhichOpenDatacanbeandhasbeenusedtoincreaseaccountabilityand

transparencyindevelopmentaid.

NewInternettechnologiesallowNGOs,companiesandinterestedcitizenstomake

compellingapplicationsandservicesbasedonofficialdata.Bymakingtheirdataopen,

publicagenciesallowthepublictore-useofficialdatainnewways-fromgenerating

interactivevisualrepresentations,tocreatingbetterservicesbasedontheinformation,to

connectingmoredatasetstogethersowecanaskandanswermorecomplexquestions.

Similarlyinthecontextofinternationaldevelopment,sharingaidinformationmore

effectivelywillultimatelyenablestakeholderstobuilduparicherpicture-byallowing

moreinformationtobeaggregatedandbyallowinginnovationinthewaythisinformation

isrepresentedandqueried.Thistopicreportaimstolookatsomeofthewaysinwhich

OpenDatacanbeandhasbeenusedtoincreaseaccountabilityandtransparencyin

developmentaid.


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3 HistoricalContextTheinternationalaidsystemwasbornoutoftheruinsoftheSecondWorldWar,whenthe

UnitedStatesbegantouseaidfundstohelprebuildEurope.Aidflowssoonspreadtoother

continents,especiallytothenewcategoryofso-calledThirdWorldordevelopingcountries.DuringtheColdWar,foreignaidwasoftenpoliticallymotivatedandusedto

supportclientstatesandpoliticalalliesinthedevelopingworld.AftertheendoftheCold

War,alleviationofpovertyandthepromotionofdevelopmentincreasinglybecamethe

declaredfocusofofficialaid.Increasingly,themostneedysocietieswereprioritised.Itis

againstthisbackgroundthattheinternationalaideffectivenessdebatebegantakingshape

inthelate1990s.Donorgovernmentsandaidagenciesbegantorealisethattheirmany

differentapproachesandrequirementswereimposinghugetransitioncosts,makingaid

lesseffective.Thisisthebeginningofthesocalledaideffectivenessmovement.

Theaideffectivenessmovementpickedupsteamin2002attheInternationalConferenceonFinancingforDevelopment

3inMonterrey,Mexico,whichestablishedtheMonterrey

Consensus4.There,theinternationalcommunityagreedtoincreaseitsfundingfor

developmentbutalsoacknowledgedthatmoremoneyalonewasnotenough.Donorsand

recipientcountriesalikewantedtoensurethataidwouldbeusedaseffectivelyaspossible.

HelpingpoorcountriestoachievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals5,thesetoftargets

agreedby192countriesin2000,whichaimedtohalveworldpovertyby2015,becamea

centralfocus.Anewparadigmofaidasapartnership,ratherthanaone-wayrelationship

betweendonorandrecipient,wasevolving.

4 EffectivenessandTransparencyinAidThereisarangeofdifferentgroupsinvolvedintheaidtransparencymovement,buildingon

thelongprocesstoimprovetheeffectivenessofofficialdevelopmentassistance(ODA).

ThisbeganwiththeFirstHighLevelForumonAidEffectiveness 6inRome,convenedbythe

OrganizationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD).Donoragenciesand

developingcountriesagreedtobettercoordinateandstreamlinetheiractivitiesatthe

countrylevel.Themainfocuswasharmonisationofaid.

ThenextbigstepforwardwastheParisDeclarationonAidEffectiveness 7endorsedatthe

SecondHighLevelForumonJointProgresstowardEnhancedAidEffectiveness8

,in2005inParis.OveronehundredMinistersandseniorofficialsfromgovernmentsanddonor

organisationscommittedthemselvestothisinternationalagreement.Beyonditsprinciples

oneffectiveaid,theParisDeclaration(2005)laysoutapractical,action-orientedroadmap

toimprovethequalityofaidanditsimpactondevelopment.Itputsinplaceaseriesof

3http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/ffdconf4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey_Consensus5http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml6http://www.oecd.org/document/41/0,3746,en_2649_3236398_46868905_1_1_1_1,00.html7http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/15/3/46874580.pdf8http://www.oecd.org/document/43/0,3746,en_2649_3236398_34430443_1_1_1_1,00.html


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specificimplementationmeasuresandestablishesamonitoringsystemtoassessprogress

andensurethatdonorsandrecipientsholdeachotheraccountablefortheircommitments.

TheParisDeclarationoutlinesthefollowingfivefundamentalprinciplesformakingaid

moreeffective:

Ownership:Recipientcountriessettheirownstrategiesforpovertyreduction,improvingtheirinstitutionsandtacklingcorruption.

Alignment:Donorcountriesalignbehindtheseobjectivesanduselocalsystems. Harmonisation:Donorcountriescoordinatetheirefforts,simplifyproceduresand

shareinformationtoavoidduplication.

Results:Recipientcountriesanddonorsshiftfocustodevelopmentresultsandensurethatthesearemeasured.

Mutualaccountability :Donorsandpartnersareaccountablefordevelopmentresults.

In2008theinternationalaidcommunityconvenedagainattheThirdHighLevelForumon

AidEffectiveness9inAccra,Ghana.TheAccraAgendaforAction

10builtontheParis

Declarationbyemphasisingtheimportanceofcountryownershipandaccountability.The

AccraAgendasaysthatgreatertransparencyandaccountabilityforaid-domesticaswell

asexternal-isafirmsteptowardsbetteraid.InAccra,thesignatoriesmadethefollowing

commitment:

Wewillmakeaidmoretransparent.Developingcountrieswillfacilitateparliamentaryoversightbyimplementinggreatertransparencyinpublicfinancial

management,includingpublicdisclosureofrevenues,budgets,expenditures,

procurementandaudits.Donorswillpubliclydiscloseregular,detailedandtimely

informationonvolume,allocationand,whenavailable,resultsofdevelopment

expendituretoenablemoreaccuratebudget,accountingandauditbydeveloping

countries.

Onegroupofdonorsanddevelopingcountrieswentfurtherthanthemaindeclarationby

committingthemselvestotheInternationalAidTransparencyInitiative.Thisdeclaration

addedspecificcommitmentsbythesedonors,outlininghowtheywouldimplementthetransparencygoalssetoutintheAccraAgendaforAction.

ButhavethepromisesofParisandAccrabeenfulfilled?Donorsandmultilateralbodiesstill

notalwayspracticetheprinciplesagreeduponinthedeclarations.TheOECDhas

commissionedanevaluation11oftheimplementationoftheParisDeclaration.Thefindings

indicatesomeprogresshasbeenmadeimprovingaideffectivenessintwoofthreeareas:

themanagementanduseofaid,andbetterpartnerships,whilethethirdareaefficiencyof

9http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,3746,en_2649_3236398_41201108_1_1_1_1,00.html10http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/58/16/41202012.pdf11http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/48/51/48278402.pdf


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aiddeliveryremainsunderdeveloped:

Overall,thepictureonefficiencygainsismixed,butsofardisappointingin

relationtotheoriginalhopesofrapidlyreducedburdensinmanagingaid.There

hasbeengenerallylittlereductiontodateinthoseburdenswhereDeclaration-

stylecooperationhasbeenappliedandevenincreasedloadsarenotedinafew

cases.

Theevaluationconcludesinelevenrecommendationsforpolicymakersinbothpartner

countriesanddonorcountriesandagenciesandwasakeyinputtotheBusanHighLevel

Forum.RecommendationNr.2ontransparencyreadsasfollows:

Focusontransparency,mutualaccountabilityandsharedriskmanagement

Thenextphaseofreformstostrengthentheeffectivenessofaidshouldbuildon

thegainsoftheParisDeclarationcampaignandlearnfromitbygoingbeyondthe

globalbannerofthegranddeclarationtoconcentrateonthemostneeded

changes:

deepeningadherencetotheprinciplesofcountryownership,alignmentandharmonisationofdonorsupport,andtransparencyandmutual

accountabilityintrackingandachievingresults;

addingsharedriskmanagementtothisframeworkofprinciples;and focusingmainlyoncountry-led,coordinatedactionontheground.

TransparencyhasemergedrepeatedlythroughouttheEvaluationastheindispensablefoundationforeffectivenessandmutualaccountability.Adding

sharedriskmanagement,asaguidingprinciplewillopenlyacknowledgethatthere

aremanyuncertaintiesandrisksindevelopmentandinpartnerships.Itwillalso

expressamutualcommitmenttoconfrontandmanagerisksanddisagreements

jointly,inthespiritofamaturepartnership.Managingfordevelopmentresults

shouldbefurthertargetedandtreatedasasetofsupportingtechniquesrather

thanaseparateprincipleinitself.

ThemostrecentmeetinginthisserieswastheFourthHighLevelForumonAid

Effectiveness12

heldinNovember2011inBusan,SouthKoreawiththeaimtotakestockoftheprogressachievedtodateandtoagreeonfuturestepstobetaken.Afterextended

negotiations,18so-calledsherpas-electedtorepresentawidergroupofstakeholders-

reachedanagreementontheBusanPartnershipforEffectiveDevelopmentCooperation13.

12http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,3746,en_2649_3236398_46057868_1_1_1_1,00.html

13http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/15/49650173.pdf


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5 OpenDataforTransparencyandEffectivenessinAid

Critiquesoftheimpactofaidhavebecomemorevociferousastheglobalcampaignsto

increaseaidhavegainedmomentum,particularlysince2000.Whilesomearguethataidisnevereffective,mostaidpractitionersagreethatwhileaidhasnotalwaysworkedtoits

maximumpotential,ithasachievedsignificantimpactswhenithasbeenproperlydirected

andmanaged,particularlyinareassuchashealthandbasiceducation.

Thereisbroadagreementthataidisonlyonefactorinthecomplexprocessneededfor

poorcountriestodevelop,andthateconomicgrowthandgoodgovernanceare

prerequisites.Theultimateaimofaideffectivenesseffortstodayistohelpdeveloping

countriesbuildwell-functioninglocalstructuresandsystemssothattheyareableto

managetheirowndevelopmentandreducetheirdependencyonoutsideaid.Transparency

isseenasakeypre-conditionandcanbedefinedasabasicexpressionofmutualaccountability

14.Mutualaccountabilitycanonlyworkifthereisaglobalcultureof

transparencythatdemandsprovisionofinformationthroughasetofrulesandbehavioural

norms,whicharedifficulttoenforce.

Asinotherfieldsofgovernance,OpenDatainitiativesopennewpossibilitiesforincreased

publicparticipation,scrutiny,transparencyandlegitimacyfordevelopmentaidprocesses.

Atthesametime,itallowsforthetappingintoofvastcreativepotentialse.g.through

crowdsourcingwhichcanleadtonovelcombinationsofdatasets,allleadingtoamore

effectiveandtransparentuseofdevelopmentaid.

Currently,thereisonlylimitedhardevidenceontherelevanceofopendataforaid

effectivenessandaidtransparency.Astudyfrom2004byReinikkaandSvensson15on

PublicExpenditureTrackinginUgandahasbeeninfluential,ashasasimilarstudyfrom

2009bySvenssonandBjrkmann16,whichfocusedontheimpactofcommunity-based

monitoringandpublicationofqualityindicatorsonservicedeliveryinhealthcentersin

Uganda.

DirectlyrelatedtoaideffectivenessandspecificallytoaidallocationistheresearchbyJrg

Faust17from2010onDonorTransparencyandAidAllocation.Astheabstractstates:

Inrecentyears,thetransparencyofforeignaidhasreceivedsubstantialattention

amongaidpractitioners.Thisanalysisshowstheimpactofpoliticaltransparencyin

donorcountriesonthosecountriesformalpromotionofaidtransparencyandon

theirconcreteaidallocationpatterns.Politicaltransparencyasmeasuredby

standardcorruptionindicesnotonlyimpactsontheengagementofbilateral

donorsintheInternationalAidTransparencyInitiative.Differencesinpolitical

14MaryRobinsonsdefinition,intheOECDSurveyonMonitoringTheParisDeclaration,2008.

15http://people.su.se/~jsven/Information.pdf

16http://bit.ly/Svensson-Bjoerkmann17http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1644704


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transparencyindonorcountriesalsoexplainalargepartoftheirvaryingaid

selectivitypatterns.Donorswithhigherlevelsofpoliticaltransparencyallocateaid

moreaccordingtorecipientsneedinessandinstitutionalperformance.

Interesting,thoughpreliminary,findings18ontheimpactofdonortransparencyon

corruptionhavebeenpublishedbyateamofresearchersassociatedwiththeAidData

projectintheUSA.

ThepaperUnlockingthePotentialofAidInformation 19,publishedinlate2009byAidInfo

andtheOpenKnowledgeFoundationlooksatwhatpublishersofinformationrelevantto

internationaldevelopment(NGOs,governmentagencies,researchbodies)candotomake

theirknowledgeassetsopen.Inparticularitfocusesonlegalandtechnicalmeasuresthat

publisherscantakeinordertomakeiteasyforotherstore-usethematerialtheypublish.

Italsomakesaseriesofrecommendationstowardsthedevelopmentofastandardfor

publishingaidinformation:

Recommendation1 -Aidinformationshouldbelegallyopen.Thestandardshould

requirethatinformationispublishedundertermswhichallowreuseforany

purpose(includingcommercial).Inparticularmaterialshouldbepublishedundera

licenseorlegaltoolthatiscompliantwiththeOpenKnowledgeDefinition,suchas

aCreativeCommonsAttribution(CC-BY)licenseforcontentorthePublicDomain

DedicationandLicense(PDDL)orCC0fordata.

Recommendation2 -Aidinformationshouldbetechnicallyopen.Thestandard

shouldrequirethatrawdataismadeavailableinbulkwithanyrelevantschema

information.Materialshouldbepublishedinaformatwhichismachinereadableandforwhichthespecificationispubliclyavailableandfreelyusable.Forexample,

textshouldbemadeavailableinHTMLorXMLanddatashouldbemadeavailable

inCSVorXML.

Recommendation3 -Aidinformationshouldbeeasilyfindable.Thestandard

shouldrequirethataidorganisationsaddtheirknowledgeassetstoaregistrywith

somebasicmetadatadescribingtheinformation.

6 CurrentInitiativesAnumberofinitiativesaimingatincreasingtransparencyandefficiencythroughthe

openingofdevelopmentaiddatahavebeenlaunched.Afewcentraloneswillbepresented

here,startingwiththemultilateralIATIinitiative,followedbyinitiativesofmultilateral

donoragenciessuchastheWorldBankandOECD-DAC,individualdonorandrecipient

countries,NGOsaswellassomeupcomingideas.Giventhemultitudeofinitiatives,thislist

cannotbecomprehensive,butdoeshighlightsomeofthecentralandsomeofthemost

interestinginitiatives.

18

http://data.irtheoryandpractice.org:8080/~oxford/papers/Tierney_2010.pdf19http://www.unlockingaid.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/UnlockingAidInformation.pdf


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InternationalAidTransparencyInitiative(IATI)

Individualinitiativesinaidtransparencyarehowevernotsufficient.Ifpartnercountriesand

civilsocietyinaidrecipientcountriesaretobenefitfrommoretransparency,the

informationofarangeofdifferentdonorshastobecomparable.Thisiswhyagroupof

donorsattheHighLevelForuminAccrain2008launchedtheInternationalAidTransparencyInitiative(IATI)

20.IATIisanetworkofdonors,partnercountriesandcivil

societyorganisationsandaimstotakeconcretestepstomakecomprehensiveandup-to-

dateaidinformationeasilyaccessible,comparableandre-usableforallstakeholdersin

developmentcooperation.

ThesignatoriesofIATIarefivemultilateralorganisations(WorldBank,African

DevelopmentBank,AsianDevelopmentBank,EuropeanCommissionandUNDP),three

privatedonors(GlobalAllianceforVaccinesandImmunisation,GlobalFundtoFightAIDS,

TuberculosisandMalariaandtheHewlettFoundation)andtwelvebilateraldonors

(Australia,Denmark,Finland,Germany,Ireland,Netherlands,NewZealand,Norway,Spain,Sweden,SwitzerlandandUK).IncontrasttotheOECDDACdataplatform,theCreditor

ReportingSystem(CRS)21,IATIisalsoopentonon-OECDmembers,toprivatefoundations

andtonon-governmentaldonors.

InFebruary2011membersofIATIagreeduponthefirstinternationalopenaiddata

standard,theIATIstandard 22,andcreatedtheIATIRegistry 23,asaone-stop-shopfordonor

data.TheambitionwasforthesignatoryorganisationstoprovidedatainIATIstandard

beforetheBusanconference.Thefirsttopublishinformationthroughtheregistrywerethe

WorldBank,theUKGovernmentsDFID,theHewlettFoundationandtheBritishNGO

AidInfo.OtherdonorssuchasSweden,Australia,UNDPandtheEuropeanCommissionhavefollowedorareplanningtoprovidesomeIATIdata.

CostBenefitAnalysisforIATI

EstimatesforallIATIsignatories US$

Expectedone-timecosts: 8million

Expectedannualsavingsthroughimprovedreportingmechanisms: 7million

Expectedannualsavingsthroughreducedcorruptionandincreased

predictability

1,6billion

20http://www.aidtransparency.net/

21

http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=CRSNEW22http://iatistandard.org/

23http://iatiregistry.org/


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Aresearchpaper24byMatthewCollin,AsmaZubairi,DanielNielsonandOwenBarder

publishedinOctober2009analysedthepotentialcostsandbenefitsofIATI.Theanalyses

arebasedondiscussionswithfourdonoragencies(theWorldBank,DFID(UK),BMZ

(Germany)andDGIS(theNetherlands))andasurveyofdonorcountryofficesandaid

recipientgovernments.

AccordingtothispreliminaryanalysistheoverallcostsofimplementingIATIinallsignatory

agenciesareatmost8millionUS$.Theestimatevariesbetween3,8millionand8million

US$.CostswillrelatetoachangeofITsystems,stafftrainingandchangemanagement

processes.Thesecostsareaone-timeinvestment.

Thebenefitsgainedthroughimprovedreportingmechanismsincludeimproved

informationmanagementsystemsandreducedcostsforduplicatemanualreportingofaid

information,particularlyatthecountryofficelevel.Donorsareexpectedtosavearound7

millionUS$annuallythroughimprovedreportingmechanisms.

Furtherbenefitscouldbegainedthroughimprovedaideffectiveness.Accordingto

conservativeestimatesabout18billionUS$ofODAislostannuallythroughcorruption.

AccordingtotheIATIcost-benefitanalysisthepotentialannualbenefitthroughgreateraid

transparency,reducedcorruptionandimprovedpredictabilityisabout1,6billionUS$

annually.

IATIandNGOs

IATIisincreasinglybecomingtheindustrystandardwithdonorssuchastheUKDFID

demandingthatfundedorganisationsreportontheiractivitiesinlinewithIATIregulations

byJuly2012.ThreeIATItoolshavebeenspecificallydesignedforrecipientNGOstouseto

complywiththesedemands. 25Theseare:

AidStream.org,26 OpenAidRegister.org,27and theAVKO.orgReallySimplyReporting(RSR)tool. 28

TherearehoweverdifferingviewsontheuseofIATIstandards.TheINGOAccountability

CharterforexamplehasadoptedtheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI)astheirstandardfor

annualreports,withaspecial"AnnexC"formatforNGOs.TheIATITechnicalAdvisory

GrouphoweverhaslookedatGRIAnnexC,andchosetodevelopitsownstandardsinceits

scopeandpurposewasdifferent.Effortsareunderwayhowevertobringthesetwostreams

togethermorethroughajointworkinggroup.

24http://www.aidinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Costs-and-benefits-analysis.pdf

25http://acclar.org/2012/02/09/iati-tools-for-the-ngo-community/

26http://aidstream.org

27http://www.openaidregister.org/28http://www.akvo.org


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AidInfosIATIToolkit

TheInternationalAidTransparencyInitiativehascreatedanXMLstandardandprocesses

fordonorstopublishinformationonaidprojects,budgetsandspending.Alogofall

publishedIATIdataiskeptontheIATIRegistrywhereyoucandownloadXMLfilesdirectly

fromdonorsandotherinformationsources.

TheIATItoolkit29fromAidInfoprovidesasetofwebservicesandtoolstousersworkwith

thisdata.IthostsacopyofdatafromtheIATIRegistry,updateddaily,andmakesit

availabletoquery-allowinguserstoextractandreformatinformationfromacrossallthe

reportedaidprojects,budgetsandspending.

WorldBankOpenDataInitiative

Severaldonorshavealsosuccessfullydemonstratedthroughotherinitiativesthatmore

transparencyispossible.In2010theWorldBanklauncheditsOpenDataInitiative,witha

DataCataloguethatprovidesaccesstoover7,000indicatorsfromWorldBankdatasets.

Source:http://data.worldbank.org/

Topromotethepublicuseofitsdata,theWorldBanklaunchedaprogrammingcontest,

29http://tools.aidinfolabs.org/


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Apps4Development30.WithApp4DevelopmenttheWorldBankaimstobringtogetherthe

bestideasfromboththesoftwaredeveloperandthedevelopmentpractitioner

communitiestocreateinnovativeappsforusingWorldBankdata.Thegoalwastofind

solutionstotodaysdevelopmentchallengesandthroughtechnology,helptacklesomeof

theworldslong-standingproblems.TheContesthasbroughtaboutexceptional

Applicationssuchasthefirstprizewinner:StatPlanetWorldBank,anapplicationfor

exploringandanalysingthe3000+indicatorsavailablefromtheWorldBankdatabase

throughinteractivemapsandgraphs.

Source:http://appsfordevelopment.challengepost.com/submissions/1516-statplanet-world-bank

TheWorldBankInstitutehasalsobeenactivelybackingtheOpenDevelopmentTechnologyAlliance31tohelpdevelopingcountriesadoptopendatatoolsandtechnologies.

OECD-DACInternationalDevelopmentStatisticsDatabase

TheOECDsDevelopmentCo-operationDirectorate(DCD-DAC)hasdevelopedthe

InternationalDevelopmentStatistics(IDS)onlinedatabasesonaidandotherresource

flows.TheDACdatabasescoverbilateralandmultilateraldonorsaidandotherresource

30http://appsfordevelopment.challengepost.com/

31http://www.opendta.org/Pages/Home.aspx


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flowstodevelopingcountriesintwoseparatedatabases:

1. TheDACannualaggregatesdatabase,whichprovidescomprehensivedataonthevolume,originandtypesofaidandotherresourceflows;

2. TheCreditorReportingSystem(CRS),whichprovidesdetailedinformationonindividualaidactivities,suchassectors,countries,projectdescriptionsetc.

Thesedatabasesareaccessiblethroughtwointerfaces:

TheOECD.STATbrowserforusersfamiliarwiththeDACandCRSdatabases; ThewizardQWIDS(QueryWizardforInternationalDevelopmentStatistics)pulls

datafromOECD.STATandoffersanintuitiveinterfaceforuserslessfamiliarwith

thestructureandcontentoftheDACandCRSdatabases.

Source:http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/50/17/5037721.htm

AlthoughtheOECDisofferingaccesstohighlyrelevantdataforprivateuse,thelimitationsonre-useasstatedinthetermsandconditionsindicatethatthepotentialofOpenDatahas

notyetbeenfullyunderstood:

Allrightsreserved.Youcancopy,downloadorprintcontentforyourownuse,and

youcanalsoincludeexcerptsfromOECDpublications,databasesandmultimedia

productsinyourowndocuments,presentations,blogs,websitesandteaching

materials,providedthatsuitableacknowledgmentofOECDassourceandcopyright

ownerisgiven.YoushouldcitetheTitleofthematerial,OECD,publicationyear

(ifavailable)andpagenumberorURL(uniformresourcelocator)asapplicable.All

requestsforcommercialuseandtranslationrightsshouldbesubmittedto

[email protected].


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Thesetermsandconditionsareproblematicforacademics,civilsocietyorganisations,

journalistsandotherswhowishtomakeuseofthepublisheddatafortheirworkasthe

termsofusedonotallowforare-useofthedata.Accessandre-useofdatamightbe

inhibitedlegallybecauseitispublishedunderCopyrightexpressedinlicensesortermsof

useregulatingtheconditionsunderwhichitcanorcannotbere-usedandre-distributed.

Fordatatobere-usedasOpenDataitmustbemadeavailableunderalicensethat

explicitlyallowsanyonetore-use,re-mixandre-distributethedatafreeofchargeforany

purposes,includingcommercialuse.

DonorGovernments

Amongindividualdonorgovernments,anumberincludingSweden,NorwayandtheUSA

havecreateddashboardstoallowcitizenstogetabettertrackandunderstandofhowODA

fundsarebeingused.TheUKGovernmentDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment

(DFID)andSwedenhavegivenaidtransparencyguaranteestomakeaidfullytransparentto

citizensinboththedonorandrecipientcountries.TheUKGovernmentAidTransparency

Guarantee32statesthat:

WewillpublishdetailedinformationaboutallnewDFIDprojectsandprogrammesonourwebsite,inacommonstandardwithotherdonors.

Informationpublishedwillbecomprehensive,accessible,comparable,accurateandtimely.

InformationwillbepublishedinEnglishandwithsummaryinformationinmajorlocallanguages,inawaythatisaccessibletocitizensinthecountriesinwhichwe

work.

Wewillallowanyonetoreuseourinformation,includingtocreatenewapplicationswhichmakeiteasiertoseewhereaidisbeingspent.

Wewillprovideopportunitiesforthosedirectlyaffectedbyourprojectstoprovidefeedbackontheperformanceofprojects.

Followinganindependentreview 33recommendingstrongerfocusontransparencythe

AustraliangovernmenthaslaunchedaTransparencyCharter 34inNovember2011.

Non-GovernmentalDonors

In2011agroupofinternationaldonorsincludingHIVOS,theFordFoundation,Open

SocietyFoundationandtheHewlettFoundationhavelaunchedtheTransparencyand

32http://www.dfid.gov.uk/ukaid-guarantee

33http://www.aidreview.gov.au/report/index.html 34http://ausaid.gov.au/country/pdf/ausaid-transparency-charter.pdf


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AccountabilityInitiative35toenhancelearningaboutthepotentialoftechnologyfor

transparencyandtopromotescientificresearchabouttheimpactofaidtransparency.

Someoftheirpublicationssuchasthereportonopendata,budgettransparency,donoraid

andimpactcasestudiesfrommiddleincomeanddevelopingcountrieshavebecome

importantresourcesonthetopic.

Source:http://www.transparency-initiative.org/publications

RecipientCountries

Aidtransparencyisalsoanissuewithinrecipientcountries.ForexampleinNepalvarious

activitiesareunderwayfocusingonthetransparencyofaidflows.Facedwithapolitical

vacuumandadministrativestandstilldonorsinNepal,coordinatedbyUNDP,launchedan

aidtransparencyinitiativetoimprovecoordinationandcooperationatthenationallevel.

InternationalNGOssuchasActionAid36havedevelopednewstandardsonwhattheyreport

tocitizensabouttheiractivities.ThenationalchapterofTransparencyInternationalin

Nepalwillsoonundertakeastudyonaidtransparencyandagroupofindependent

researchersinNepalhavecreatedtheAllianceforAidMonitorNepal37.Thislocalinterest

providesaconduciveenvironmenttopromotetheuseofaidinformation.

TheUKbasedNGOAidInfo 38,partoftheIATIsecretariat,choseNepalforapilotstudyon

theavailability,theaccessibilityandtheuseofaiddata.Partofthispilotwasabarcamp39

onaiddataorganisedinNovember2011byYoungInnovation(YIPL)inKathmandu.Aid

35http://www.transparency-initiative.org/

36http://www.actionaid.org/

37http://aidmonitor.org.np/

38http://www.aidinfo.org/ 39http://nepalaid.yipl.com.np/


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TransparencyBarcampNepalisbrandedasanOpenforChangeevent,linkingittoa

networkofeventsandorganisationsaroundtheworld,whicharefocusedontransparency

andcollaborationindevelopment.

AnoteworthyprojecthasbeenTheWebFoundationsGhanaOpenDataInitiative,inwhich

theGhanaiangovernmenthasbeenco-operatingwiththefoundation. 40Asaresult,an

eGovernmentNetworkInfrastructure(GovNET)41acrossthe10regionsinGhanawas

completedallowingforeasierandfasterdatacollectionanddisseminationbyMinistries,

DepartmentsandAgencieswillFurthermore,TheWebFoundationplanstosupportGhana

in2012-2013todevelopanOpenDatastrategyfortheGovernmentofGhana,takinginto

accountthethreelayersofactors(political,publicadministrationandcivilsociety)andsix

dimensionsofOpenData(political,legal,organizational,technical,socialandeconomic).

Non-GovernmentalOrganisations

Notonlybilateralandmultilateraldonorshavebeenchallengedtoincreasetheir

transparency.Non-governmentaldonorsandimplementersarealsounderpressureto

maketheiraidmoreeffectiveandtorespecttheParisprinciplesintheiractivities.The

InternationalNGOAccountabilityCharter 42isanetworkoflargeinternationalNGOsto

improvetheaccountabilityofNGOs.InJune2011representativesofthisnetworkmetin

GenevatoanalysehowtheycanadoptIATIandwhetherchangesareneededsothatNGOs

canreportdataaccordingtotheIATIstandard.Asmentionedabove,currentlythereare

somedifferencesbetweentheGRIandIATIapproaches,whicharetobeaddressedbya

jointworkinggroup.

Afurtherinitiativeisthe"OpenForumforCSODevelopmentEffectiveness",whichhasbeenamorecivil-societyfocusedeffortrunninginparalleltothemoregovernment-

orientedParisandBussanprocesses.TheForumhasdevelopedthe"IstanbulPrinciples"

andan"InternationalFrameworkforCSODevelopmentEffectiveness".43

PublishWhatYouFund,aUKbasedNGOcampaignsforaidtransparencymoreandbetter

informationaboutaid.The2010AidTransparencyAssessment44and2011Index

45indicate

thattheaidinformationcurrentlymadeavailablebydonorsispoorandthattheyallneed

toimprovetheirtransparency.

Otheractivities:Conferences&Hackathons

Therehavebeenaseriesofconferencesonaidtransparencyoverthelastyears

accompaniedbyanumberofcodesprintsandhackathons.Itsimpossibletolistallofthem

butitisworthtomentiontheimportanceoftheseeventsinbringingtogethertraditional

40http://www.webfoundation.org/projects/godi/

41http://www.nita.gov.gh/pages.aspx?id=5

42http://www.ingoaccountabilitycharter.org/

43http://www.cso-effectiveness.org

44http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/resources/assessment/45http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/resources/index/2011-index/


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aidprofessionalsfromNGOs,representativesfromdonorandrecipientcountriesaswellas

technologistsfromtheopendatacommunityandmembersfromrecipientcountry

communities.Theimpactofthesekindsofeventscannotbeunderestimated.Outstanding

examplesare:

TheWaterHackathonin2011,weresoftwaredevelopersanddesignersteamedupwith

waterexpertstocreatenewtoolsforsolvingwaterproblemssimultaneouslyinmultiple

globallocations,includinginNairobi,Bangalore,London,Kampala,andWashingtonDC.

OpenforChange46isalabelforconferencesasinAmsterdam,Nepal,Berlin,andother

places.ChristianKreutz,co-organiseroftheBerlinbasedOpenAidDataConference47held

inNovember2011inBerlinsaid:

Itishightimefordonoragencies,civilsocietyorganisations,media

representativesandthegovernmentindonorcountriestomakethetransparencyofdevelopmentcooperationahighpriority.

NewTools:GeocodingAidData

Geocoding,orrecordingthelocationofaidprojectsatthesub-nationallevel,enablesvisual

trackingofwherethemoneyisflowingandtraceswhatkindofaideachareareceives.

Geocodedaidprojectdatacanbeoverlaidwithavarietyofothergeographicdata,

includingpovertyrates,environmentalvulnerability,income,socialstatistics,

infrastructure,andreal-timeincidentreports.Mappingaidinformationenablesabetter

understandingoftheallocationofaidwithinacountry,highlightinganypotentialfinancing

gaps,andhelpsindisplayinginequitiesinaiddistribution.Oncemapped,geocodedaid

informationpresentsdevelopmentstakeholderswithasimpleplatformtoassesscurrent

performanceandtoplanfutureprojects.Mappedsub-nationaldatacanprovidepartner

countrieswithabetterunderstandingofhowandwhereaidshouldbeworkingfortheir

benefit.Geocodeddatawillalsoallowdonors,countries,auditors,andcitizenstoverify

thatprojectsarebeingimplementedintheirintendedlocations,therebydecreasing

opportunitiesforwasteandcorruption.

ThecivilsocietyorganisationAidData 48,incollaborationwithUppsalaUniversity,has

developedacomprehensivewaytogeocodeaidprojects.Bydefiningmultiplelevelsofgeographicalprecision,AidDataisabletoaccuratelyidentifythelocationsofalltypesof

developmentprojects.Usingthisrigorousyetflexiblemethodology,teamsoftrained

researchersworkwithdonorandcountryagenciestodeterminethepreciselocationof

developmentactivities.ThemethodologyiscompatiblewiththeIATIdatastandardandcan

bedownloaded49forusebyanyorganisation.

46http://openforchange.info/

47

http://openaiddata.de/48http://www.aiddata.org/

49http://open.aiddata.org/


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Source:http://maps.worldbank.org/eap/timor-leste#

Todemonstratethepowerofgeo-enabledaidinformation,andwithsupportfromEsri50(a

leadingproviderofinteractivemappingplatforms),AidDatacreatedDevelopmentLoop.

ThiswebapplicationincorporatesdataonprojectsfundedbytheWorldBankandAfrican

DevelopmentBank,overlaidwithregionaldevelopmentstatisticsandprojectsuccess

storiesreportedbyGlobalGiving,toproduceavisualstoryofaid,need,andimpact.Future

versionswillemploycrowdsourcingtools,allowingdevelopmentprofessionalsandaid

beneficiariestocreateorupdateprojectdatafromanywhereintheworldviaweband

mobileapplications.

7 ConclusionTheAccraAgendaforActionstatesthattransparencyandaccountabilityareessential

elementsfordevelopmentresults,aswellasdriversofprogress.Mutualaccountabilityand

transparencyisoneofthefivepartnershipcommitmentsoftheParisDeclaration.Throughtransparency,donorsandrecipientscanbeheldaccountableforwhattheyspendandaid

canbemademoreeffectivebyknowing: Whogivesmoneytowhichrecipient,What

projectisbeingfundedandforwhatpurpose,and Where.

TransparencyinAidoffersavaluableanswertobetterunderstand,howaidisspent,what

worksandwhatdoesnot,makingaidmorepredictableandreliable.Transparencyhasbeen

showntoimproveservicedeliveryandtoreduceopportunitiesfordiversionandtherefore

corruption.

50http://www.esri.com/


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TheinternationalcommunityhasbeenseekingtoaddressaideffectivenesstheParis

DeclarationandthesubsequentAccraAgendaforAction.Governmentsandaidagencies

havemadecommitmentsattheleadershiplevel,butforthemomentmosteffortshave

beentop-down,aggregatetargets.Decadesofdevelopmenthaveshownthatifcountries

aretobecomelessdependentonaid,theymustfollowabottom-upapproach,wherethey

determinetheirownprioritiesandrelyontheirownsystemstodeliverthataid.

Inspiteofthefactthattheinternationalcommunityhasraisedtheissueofaid

effectivenessintheParisDeclarationandthesubsequentAccraAgendaforAction,the

implementationofthisagendahasbeendifficult.

IncreaseduseofOpenDatainaidhasthepotentialtoaddressanumberoftheseconcerns:

asonotherfieldsofgovernance,transparencyandaccountabilitycanbeincreasedwhile

variousactorswillalsobebetterabletoharmonisetheirapproaches.Openingdataforre-

usealsoallowsinterestedcitizenstocreateinnovativewaysofcombining,displayingand

otherwisere-usingdata,whichhashugepotentialforre-thinkingandre-configuringthe

wayaidiscurrentlyimplemented.Inordertoavoidfragmentation,though,itisnecessary

foractorsatvariouslevels-fromgrassrootstoministries-toharmonisetheireffortswhile

notcuttingoffcreativepotential.Someoftheinitiativesdescribedinthispaperarealready

showingtheway.

Appendix

MacFarquhar,N.,"UNPovertyGoalsfaceaccountabilityquestions.",TheNewYorkTimes,

September18,2010.Availableat:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/world/19nations.html

Bjorkman,M.,Svensson,J.,"PowertothePeople:EvidencefromaRandomizedField

ExperienceonCommunity-BasedMonitoringinUganda",QuarterlyJournalofEconomics

124,no.2:735-69,2009.

Kharas,H.,"Transparency:ChangingtheAccountabilityEngagement,andEffectivenessof

Aid",in:Kharas,H.,Makino,K.,Jung,W.,"CatalyzingDevelopment",BrookingsInstitution

Press,Washington,D.C.2011.


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About the Author

DanielDietrichwasbornin1973inFrankfurt,Germany.Hisacademicworksurrounds

politicalscience,computerscienceandcommunicationscienceinFrankfurtandBerlin.He

workedasResearchAssociateatTechnicalUniversityBerlin,DepartmentofInternetand

Societyuntiltheendof2011.HehasbeenworkingfortheOpenKnowledgeFoundation

(OKFN),since2009andisChairmanoftheGermanChapteroftheOpenKnowledge

Foundation.HeistheProjectCoordinatorfortheOKFProjectOpenDefinitionaswellasthe

CoordinatoroftheWorkingGrouponOpenGovernmentDataandtheWorkingGroupon

OpenDataintheEU.Heistheco-founderoftheOpenDataNetwork,anon-profit

advocacyorganisationtopromoteOpenData,OpenGovernmentandTransparencyin

Germanyandbeyond.In2011hebecameEditoroftheePSIplatform.

Copyright information2011EuropeanPSIPlatform-Thisdocumentandallmaterialthereinhasbeencompiled

withgreatcare.However,theauthor,editorand/orpublisherand/oranypartywithinthe

EuropeanPSIPlatformoritspredecessorprojectstheePSIplusNetworkprojectorePSINet

consortiumcannotbeheldliableinanywayfortheconsequencesofusingthecontentof

thisdocumentand/oranymaterialreferencedtherein.Thisreporthasbeenpublished

undertheauspicesoftheEuropeanPublicSectorInformationPlatform.

ThereportmaybereproducedprovidingacknowledgementismadetotheEuropeanPublic

SectorInformation(PSI)Platform.TheEuropeanPublicSectorInformation(PSI)Platformis

fundedundertheEuropeanCommissioneContentplusprogramme.

Documents

Topic Report: Open Aid Data