The practice of evidence based policy has gained increasing endorsement in recent years, so much so that it could now reasonably be argued that no policy decision is justified without a strong evidence base to substantiate it. Drawing on the findings of the Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) programme at the Overseas Development Institute in London, this article will argue that a robust evidence base helps to underpin policy-decisions, both enriching the process and, perhaps more importa more...

This article argues that although the Paris Declaration is an important step in establishing an international consensus on aid, its ability to make aid work in the long term is questionable without the availability of publically available, reliable, qualitative and quantitative information on civil society organisations (CSOs). This type of transparency and accountability it is argued will serve to increase democratic ownership and accountability as well as provide a useful tool for donors, gov more...

The Hungarian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MSAL) has published its database at http://www.civil.info.hu/modules/Orgs. It is the most comprehensive state database online at this moment and it collects and presents data from the following sources among others: the registry information from the ONJC, 1% allocations received by that organisation, grants and other financial supports coming from state institutions. The database in its current form is unfortunately not really valid, or compre more...

MicroCapital publishes the MicroCapital Monitor and other products offering specialized news and information on international microfinance. As microfinance is an emerging global industry with a legacy of charity, objective news with a business orientation is scarce. MicroCapital seeks to provide candid information on microfinance as an emerging investment class. MicroCapital is owned and operated by Prisma MicroFinance, Inc.

This article written by Marianna Török, Director of Emerging GuideStars talks about the way in which the absence of a legislative framework that enables disclosure of reports by civil society organisations is a major obstacle for countries seeking to implement databases based on the GuideStar model. However it also examines the ways in which voluntary databases can help overcome the problems faced and examines the prospects for Germany, Hungary and Palestine.

Spore is published bimonthly in English, French and Portuguese. The magazine features articles relevant to agricultural and rural development in ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries, and specifically on trends and opinions, technical innovations, business, recent publications and useful contact sources. Subscription is free (http://spore-subs.cta.int) to organisations and individuals resident in ACP and EU countries who are involved in agricultural and rural development. Spore is publ more...