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Right to InformationThis first round of eight case studies was completed in 2012. The case studies were prepared examining the experience of a number of countries that have passed Right to Information (RTI) legislation within the last 15 years: Albania, India, Mexico, Moldova, Peru, Romania, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. Each country case study assesses four dimensions critical to the effective implementation of RTI legislation as follows: 1. The scope of the information that the law covers, which determines whether an RTI law can serve as the instrument of more transparent and accountable governance as envisaged by its advocates. For example, a law that leaves too many categories of information out of its purview, that does not adequately apply to all agencies impacting public welfare or using public resources, or that potentially contradicts with other regulations, like secrecy laws, will not be effective. 2. Issues related to public sector capacity and incentives, additional key functions and demands within the public sector created by RTI, entities responsible for these functions, and various organizational models for fulfilling these functions. 3. Mechanisms for appeals and effective enforcement against the denial of information(whether it be an independent commission or the judiciary); the relative independence, capacity, and scope of powers of the appeals agency, and the ease of the appeals process; and the application of sanctions in the face of unwarranted or mute refusals, providing a credible environment. 4. The capacity of civil society and media groups to apply the law to promote transparency and to monitor the application of the law, and a regulatory and political environment that enables these groups to operate effectively. The in-depth research presented in these case studies was conducted to examine factors that promote the relative effectiveness of these four key dimensions when implementing RTI reforms, including institutional norms, political realities, and economic concerns. An analysis was conducted to determine which models have the potential to work in different contexts and what lessons can be drawn from these experiences to help countries currently in the process of setting up RTI regimes.
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Citizens and Service Delivery : Assessing the Use of Social Accountability Approaches in the Human Development SectorsEfforts by governments, donors, and civil society alike to improve governance, accountability, and development results on the ground have heightened attention to the idea that citizens can contribute to better public services by holding their policy makers, providers, and program managers accountable. While the use of social accountability to improve services in low- and middle-income countries is not new, the topic has gained currency in recent years. This book looks at how this works in practice. It aims to learn from the experiences gained from the implementation of World Bank projects and from the small, but growing, set of impact evaluations. The review is a first step to identify lessons, knowledge gaps, and questions for further research that can improve the use of these tools in government policies and through programs supported by civil society and donors, including the World Bank. The book documents a diverse and exciting set of cases the rapid adoption of access-to-information laws, the use of public expenditure tracking surveys by civil society organizations to 'follow the money' from central government budgets to schools and health clinics, and the incorporation of grievance redress mechanisms into the design of conditional cash transfer programs. Many of the examples discussed here are new initiatives, and some are being evaluated now. Much will be gained from more evaluation and the sharing of experiences across countries developed and developing alike.
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Citizens and Service Delivery :
 Assessing the Use of Social Accountability Approaches in the
 Human Development SectorsEfforts by governments, donors, and
 civil society alike to improve governance, accountability,
 and development results on the ground have heightened
 attention to the idea that citizens can contribute to better
 public services by holding their policy makers, providers,
 and program managers accountable. While the use of social
 accountability to improve services in low- and middle-income
 countries is not new, the topic has gained currency in
 recent years. This book looks at how this works in practice.
 It aims to learn from the experiences gained from the
 implementation of World Bank projects and from the small,
 but growing, set of impact evaluations. The review is a
 first step to identify lessons, knowledge gaps, and
 questions for further research that can improve the use of
 these tools in government policies and through programs
 supported by civil society and donors, including the World
 Bank. The book documents a diverse and exciting set of cases
 the rapid adoption of access-to-information laws, the use of
 public expenditure tracking surveys by civil society
 organizations to 'follow the money' from central
 government budgets to schools and health clinics, and the
 incorporation of grievance redress mechanisms into the
 design of conditional cash transfer programs. Many of the
 examples discussed here are new initiatives, and some are
 being evaluated now. Much will be gained from more
 evaluation and the sharing of experiences across countries
 developed and developing alike.