A few days ago Friends of Publish What You Fund published an independent assessment focused on the progress made by U.S. government agencies and civil society on the transparency agenda. As George Ingram, Chair of that organization’s board, noted in a blog published last week: “Although progress has not been as fast as many of us would have liked, the past decade has brought a sea change in aid transparency.” Data transparency has gone from a rather obscure obsession of a few policy wonks to being viewed as an essential ingredient in aid effectiveness. Yes, the report notes that much remains to be done. And it is also true that US government agencies have struggled to make the Obama admin
Over the past decade aid transparency has moved from being a little-known concept to the norm. The value of making timely and accurate aid data publicly available is now widely accepted as essential to good decision-making. Good data is the foundation of rigorous monitoring and real-time feedback, and is at the heart of transparency and accountability. Without good data, it is hard for stakeholders and citizens to follow and understand the programs of a development agency. After less than a decade of campaigning, however, we can be proud that the discussion has moved from whether to be transparent, to how. To help with this endeavor, Friends of Publish What You Fund is today releasing the re
