Transparency and Accountability
The Revenue Watch Institute works to improve government accountability in resource-rich regions, like Sierra Leone. Photo by Matthew Genasci, courtesy of the Revenue Watch Institute.
Basic public services in developing countries can be improved if both citizens and policymakers can track development funds to make sure they are spent effectively. To make the flow of funds more transparent, the Program concentrated on the following areas in 2007:
Ensuring that revenues from extractive industries and foreign aid reach the public. In resource-rich developing countries, our grantees continue to tackle the serious issue of corruption and public mismanagement of revenues generated by the mining, gas, and oil industries. And together with the Gates Foundation, we are supporting efforts to improve the transparency of development aid as it flows from international donors.
Improving public spending through budget transparency, expenditure tracking, and evaluation of public services. The Transparency and Accountability Project, a Foundation-supported organization, awarded grants to six independent monitoring groups for projects to improve budget transparency and accountability in their countries. Two other key partners—Revenue Watch Institute and the International Budget Project—are expanding their operations, attracting new donors, and building strong networks of watchdog groups in developing countries. We have also worked closely with the Gates Foundation and other partners to establish a new international organization that will support independent evaluation of development programs to determine which activities are most effective in improving the livelihood and well-being of the world’s poor.
Continuing efforts to make public finances in Mexico more transparent and trackable. The historic constitutional reform to guarantee public access to information in Mexico was an important milestone, although effective implementation remains a key challenge. In another significant 2007 transparency achievement, Mexico’s state oil company agreed to make public information about its payments to government entities. Until now, these payments have been untrackable, discretionary, and notoriously vulnerable to corruption.
Transparency and Accountability Grants authorized in 2007.
2008 Goals
- Support the Revenue Watch Institute’s development of new international accounting standards for extractive industries
- Secure an agreement on a coordinated strategy for U.S. aid reform among global development advocacy groups
- Support the completion and distribution of the Transparency and Accountability Project’s signature report on improving the accountability of public spending in developing countries
- Continue support of the International Budget Project’s work to make budget information more accessible and increase oversight by budget watchdog groups around the world
- Recruit additional donors to match Foundation funds for the International Initiative on Impact Evaluation
- Increase the public’s access to information about government budgets in Mexico and provide budget analysis training to nonprofit organizations
For more information, please visit the Foundation Web site.
