Practical support to address problems, politics and incentives

For those of us keen to support progress towards more open governance, 2018 was a challenging year. The politics and incentives that all too often drive the rich and the powerful to act in their own short-term interests, make the road towards more open and effective governance a very bumpy one, full of obstacles, in the US and globally. Supporting those at the sharp end of navigating the obstacles, and addressing governance-related challenges, requires much more than promoting transparency and extolling the virtues of openness.

As this edition of the Integrity Insider details, over the course of 2018 we provided practical support to local partners around the world as they tackled governance-related challenges. This included supporting partners in Kenya, as they sought to improve the provision of agricultural extension services to local farmers, and helping government officials and citizens in Durango, Mexico, in their efforts to track the flow of public resources.

Informed by our country-level work, and that of other organizations, we also sought to nudge the evolution of the governance agenda. This included providing detailed feedback on new strategies by DFID and OSF, setting out how the fiscal transparency agenda might be strengthened, and continuing to build bridges between the opengov and adaptive development communities. We have been pleased to see the open data, and the governance agendas, focus increasingly on problems, politics, and incentives, and the use of data to inform cycles of action and learning to address those problems, in line with the direction we’ve been heading.

As 2019 rolls on, we look forward to providing problem mapping, data use, and strategy & learning support to front-line actors and their international partners as they address challenges around the management and use of public resources, and to sharing the insights and evidence generated from this work in order to inform policy and practice on governance and development. There are major challenges to address, but with a strengthened and more diverse team and board, and exciting new work underway, including through the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme, we are up for the challenges and set to make 2019 our best year yet!

Integrity and Anti-corruption

We launched the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Program (GI-ACE), a 3 year initiative focused on generating actionable research on corruption, and catalyzing collaboration between academics and practitioners trying to strengthen integrity.

We also launched our exploration into why and how citizens act against corruption, and published the latest round of the Africa Integrity Indicators.

Fiscal Governance

In Veracruz, Mexico, we helped partners – the local State Audit Commission, civil society organizations, and citizen groups – work together to use data to track the allocation of public resources, and strengthen public procurement processes.

We also supported governments and citizens across the world as they leveraged our Treasure Hunts methodology to monitor public spending, and wrote the chapter on anti-corruption for the State of Open Data report.

Multistakeholder Initiatives

In Georgia, we worked with partners at the Open Data Charter and Open North to facilitate reflection and learning about why OGP commitments fail, and to explore how gaps between policy commitments and their implementation might be closed. Alongside OGP Locals in Ghana, Kenya, and Buenos Aires, we continue to explore how data, learning, and action might drive the design and implementation of more ambitious OGP commitments.

As part of a new Learning Collaborative, we worked with Twaweza, CEGSS, Dejusticia, and the Transparency and Accountability Initiative to investigate how learning can support more effective governance work, including around multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Open Gov Hub

2018 was a whirlwind year filled with stimulating activities, ideas, and connections across our community here at Open Gov Hub. We experienced continued growth across our membership and programs, helping us reach new heights of connectedness and collective impact.

Best Reads of 2018

Below are some of top things we read in 2018 that we think are worth your time.

Interested in accessing our stash of adaptive development/open government articles in evernote? Email Alan directly to get an invitation to share.

Global Integrity in 2018

Global Integrity has strengthened its organizational capacity with the addition of our new Managing Director of Finance & Operations, Karen Johnsen, and our Research and Learning Manager, Yeukai Mukorombindo. See our updated team page for a full listing of our staff and board members. As we endeavor to operate in a fiscally accountable, transparent and sustainable manner, we regularly share information publicly about our funding and our financial performance. Our most recent Audited Financial Statements and Form 990, as well as information about our funders and our current financial performance can be seen on our funders and financials page.