GSDRC newsfeed on Communication

Better Information, Better Aid

aidinfo — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What are the potential benefits of aid transparency? What information is needed and how could donors make this more accessible? Survey results indicate that improved transparency of aid information would contribute to faster poverty reduction by making aid more effective and accountable. Users of aid information need more accessible, detailed, timely, and consistent information to enable them to make aid work better. Donors should therefore publish information (electronically) in more detail, using common definitions and a common format. This could both reduce costs for donors, who repeatedly provide the same information in different forms, and increase the information's value to users.

New Media and Democracy in Africa - A Critical Interjection

Fackson Banda, Okoth Fred Mudhai, Wisdom J. Tettey — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Has the use of new media improved African political structures, systems and processes? This book chapter introduces studies examining the impact of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the societies and politics of African countries. It argues that, a decade after the introduction of ICTs, questions about access, inequality, power and the quality of available information are still valid. The value of new media lies in the extent to which they mesh with old media to provide multimedia platforms that allow for greater democratic participation, inclusion and expression.

Political Economy Reforms: Learning from the Delhi Water Experience

Avjeet Singh — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How do you introduce and sustain change in a society, like India, where there is a strong indigenous tradition and deep-rooted corruption? This research from the World Bank looks at efforts to reform the water sector in Delhi. It suggests that moving from policy rhetoric to its acceptance is always difficult. But instead of simply blaming the system for problems of implementation, it is important to analyse and work with the underlying reality.

Political Economy Analysis to Action: Political Communication Approaches and Techniques

World Bank — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Why are political communication approaches pivotal to efforts to reform governance systems? This study from the World Bank suggests that reform managers must be able to persuade society. Furthermore, although reform includes technical challenges, the challenges of adaptation require political communication.

Can Informed Public Deliberation Overcome Clientelism?

Leonard Wantchekon — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can new democracies restrain electoral clientelism? This study from New York University draws on evidence from the 2006 presidential elections in Benin. It shows that if a campaign strategy is based on town hall meetings and policy proposals informed by empirical research, the electorate feels they have greater understanding of policies and candidates. It also suggests that this approach could have positive effects on turnout and electoral support for the candidates involved.

Generating Genuine Demand with Social Accountability Mechanisms

Communication for Governance and Accountability Program — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What factors contribute to the success or failure of Social Accountability (SA) initiatives? This paper reports on a 2007 workshop organised by the World Bank�s Communication for Governance and Accountability Program. It examines what works in: (1) analysing the public sphere and political context; (2) gaining official support for the use of SA tools; (3) informing citizens; (4) mobilising citizen activism; and (5) achieving behaviour change in public officials through public opinion.

Governance Reform Under Real World Conditions

S Odugbemi and T Jacobson — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What are the key challenges for governance reform in complex, diverse sociopolitical and economic conditions? How can these challenges best be addressed? This volume from the World Bank argues that successful, sustained reform requires the alignment of citizens, stakeholders, and voice. Reformers must overcome adaptive challenges such as public opinion, self-interested forces and inertia, and this requires skilled communication. Communication links the constitutive elements of the public sphere � engaged citizenries, vibrant civil societies, plural and independent media systems, and open government institutions � to facilitate the national dialogue which shapes informed public opinion.

Strategic Communication: The Heart of Post-Conflict Processes

Frances Fortune, Oscar Bloh — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Why have governments and their international partners not placed strategic communication at the centre of post-conflict reconstruction and reform? This article from Conflict Trends outlines how strategic communication can help shift attitudes and behaviours of policymakers and citizens towards development and governance. Often lack of political will and fear of accountability hinders the use of strategic communication in post-conflict situations. However, such contexts provide unique opportunities for integrating strategic communication into reform processes.

Strategic Communication for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Overview

GTZ — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

What is meant by strategic communication for sustainable development? This GTZ publication outlines how strategic communication can be integrated into development policies and projects. Strategic communication ensures the active solicitation of stakeholders� perspectives. Despite its impact, communication is rarely integrated in development cooperation programmes as a strategic tool. However, cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders depend on it.

Participatory Communication: A Practical Guide

Thomas Tufte and Paolo Mefalopulos — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can participatory communication be applied in development projects? This World Bank publication outlines the four key phases of the participatory communication programme cycle. Genuine participatory communication is rare, but it can facilitate the empowerment of marginalised groups and have wider social and political effects. It requires continual dialogue with stakeholders. However, proper application of participatory communication methods are not enough to ensure a project's success. Broader contextual requirements are important, including a flexible project framework (especially in terms of timelines), a politically conducive environment, and an enabling attitude among key stakeholders.

Transparenting Transparency: Initial Empirics and Policy Applications

Ana Bellver and Daniel Kaufmann — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Can access to information and transparency reforms improve governance and development outcomes? How can transparency reforms be empirically measured and effectively implemented? This World Bank paper reviews existing literature and develops and applies a new transparency index for 194 countries. While causality remains difficult to determine, transparency is associated with better socio-economic and human development indicators, and with higher competitiveness and lower corruption. Where there is political will for transparency reform, much progress can be made without excessive resource requirements.

Enforcement Models: Content and Context

Laura Neuman — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Access to information (ATI) rights are only meaningful if they are both enforceable and enforced. What are the different enforcement models for ATI laws, and what determines success? This World Bank paper draws on case studies to consider the three main ATI enforcement models: (1) judicial proceedings; (2) an information commission(er) or appeals tribunal with the power to issue binding orders; and (3) an information commissioner or ombudsman with the power to make recommendations. While there is no 'one size fits all' system, principles of independence, accessibility, affordability, timeliness and specialisation are paramount.

Building Political Will for Enhanced Access to Information: Lessons from Latin America

Anabel Cruz — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can citizens� groups and other stakeholders build political will for the approval and enactment of right to information laws? By analysing experience in Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile and Uruguay, this book chapter from Civicus explores how political will was built to pass access to information laws. It also looks at the challenges of implementation, arguing that the adoption of legislation is merely an important first step. It will mean little if government, encouraged by informed citizens, does not implement the laws.

USAID�s Media Assistance: Policy and Programmatic Lessons

Krishna Kumar — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

What can be learned from USAID�s media assistance programmes? This USAID paper outlines the results of the agency�s 2002-2003 assessment such programmes. The assessment included workshops and a literature review plus fieldwork in Bosnia, Serbia, Central America and Russia. Key success factors were: (1) a long-term perspective; (2) major resource commitments that facilitated comprehensive, multifaceted, mutually reinforcing interventions; and (3) a context of political transformation that encouraged acceptance of media assistance among political leaders and civil society. Different media development strategies are needed in different types of political system.

Community Participation in Public Schools: Impact of Information Campaigns in three Indian states

Priyanka Pandey, Sangeeta Goyal, Venkatesh Sundararaman — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What impact can community-based information campaigns have on school performance? This article from Education Economics finds that providing information through a structured campaign has a positive impact on school outcomes. A cluster randomised control trial of 610 villages across three Indian states provided public meetings about community roles and responsibilities in school management. A survey between two and four months later identified positive impacts on process variables such as community participation, provision of student entitlements and teacher effort. Impacts on learning were modest, however, and there were differences between states. Impacts need to be measured over a longer time period.

Assessing the Extent to Which the News Media Act as Watchdogs, Agenda Setters and Gatekeepers

Sina Odugbemi and Pippa Norris — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This review from the World Bank's Communication for Governance and Accountability Program finds that news media are important in furthering democratic governance, provided they are set up in a way that allows them to act as effective watchdogs, agenda setters and gatekeepers. Barriers to the fulfilment of these roles include restrictions on press freedom, market failures, lack of professional standards, weak civil society, and limitations in media literacy and public access to the media. Further research is required to fully determine the relationship between a free media and democratic governance.

On Measuring Governance: Framing Issues for Debate

Daniel Kaufmann and Aart Kraay — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can the measurement of governance be enhanced? This World Bank paper highlights key issues for users and providers of governance indicators. It contends that: (1) all governance indicators have weaknesses; (2) there are no easy solutions in measuring governance; and that (3) the links from governance to development outcomes are complex. Policymakers should view the different types of indicators as complementary rather than competing.

Coalition Building

Communication for Governance and Accountability Program — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can communications strategies contribute to pro-reform coalition building? This briefing from the World Bank's Communication for Governance and Accountability Program draws on experience from around the world, particularly from Kenya, the Philippines, Georgia and India. It argues that effective coalitions require careful use of communications to foster trust among members while also leveraging diversity � a delicate balancing act. Communications strategies should be sequenced according to each coalition�s particular needs and stage of formation.

Dialogues as Communication Strategy in Governance Reform

J. P. Singh — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What advantages can dialogue between society and its government offer over one-way communication? This book chapter from the World Bank examines 'dialogic communication', or democratic deliberation, arguing that it offers citizens and public officials an opportunity to come together to find solutions to problems. Dialogic communication may be especially helpful for resource-constrained governments in designing public policy measures that find broad acceptance. Political analysis must guide development actors' use of communication strategies.

Ten Years of Media Support to the Balkans: An Assessment

Aaron Rhodes — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What has been the impact of ten years of the international community�s support to media in the Western Balkans? This report from the Media Task Force of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe analyses 37 existing evaluations of media support projects, and makes recommendations for the future. In spite of mixed results, the impact of media assistance has been substantial. Donors should consider the development of the wider media market instead of sustaining too many individual media outlets. Projects should help NGOs work with lawyers to understand and use new laws once reforms have been passed.