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Search by Keywords: Advanced Search Sign-up here! Subscription is free and allows you to receive email newsletters, alerts, and to access a comprehensive member directory and network with other development professionals. Sign-up here About this Report This Special Report provides a multi-sectoral perspective about public sector transparency. Participating in this Special Report are our online communities focused on: Afghanistan Reconstruction Aid Effectiveness Business Environment Civic Engagement Culture E-Government Environment Foreign Direct Investment Gender Governance HIV/AIDS Indigenous Issues Information and Communication Technologies Iraq: Relief and Recovery Knowledge Economy Non-Governmental Organizations Poverty Trade Urban Development Water Resources Management Youth for Development     Our next Special Report "Aid Harmonization: What Will It Take to Meet the MDGs?" coming in July 2005. Become a Development Gateway member, and you will be notified of our upcoming reports. Sign-up! See previous Special Reports here Special The requested resource (/editor/default/) is not availableReport The requested resource (/editor/default/) is not available From Our Members What role does civil society play? Exposure to the public, participation in decision making via voice and independent research accountability, and monitoring of governments by NGOs are long-recognized forms of civic engagement for promoting transparency. Still, a risk of political abuse of civil society involvement remains high. A Development Gateway survey asked its members: Does civil society involvement always lead to better outcomes? How can concerned citizens and NGOs guard against being manipulated by powerful political players? Here is what our members had to say: Kadmiel Wekwete It helps to keep pushing the bar on accountability, especially at the local levels. Civil society groups are very important at local levels where they can exert positive pressure on the behavior of public servants and call them to order in terms of accountability. The same applies to national levels where civil society is key to political accountability. Aditi Sen Civil society involvement can improve governance, but in and of itself, it will not be effective, Civil society accountability mechanisms need to be part of a broader institutional structure to be truly effective. Nabil El-Khodari Civil society is part of the larger society. If the norm is corruption, you will find that civil society is also corrupted. Real civil society almost does not exist in developing countries. Where there is huge unemployment, even among university graduates, NGO formation seems like an employment opportunity. People found them and seek funding to cover - most of all - their salaries. There is no 'volunteerism' involved and, with few exceptions, e.g. human rights groups, there is no real specific mission, nor the readiness to 'fight' for the mission. In developed countries, on the other hand, civil society involvement can lead to better outcomes, particularly as compared to private business. Georgi Apostolov Not necessarily because it depends on the specific conditions in the country. Political and business interests often try to put a hand on that sector either by creating their own affiliated “NGOs” or by pressuring or/and corrupting the existing ones. So, civil society in a specific country could end by being corrupted and politically or business affiliated. Govind Bharadia Civil society is both the process and result of civic organizations, government and business interacting in a way that is participatory, accountable and includes mechanisms for peaceful change, all of which contributes to the creation of more secure, productive and just communities. If citizens engage in determining solutions to community problems, if government, business and civic leaders are held accountable, if peaceful avenues for change replace violent upheavals, then our work results in communities that look optimistically to the future. Charlene Rogers Not necessarily. It depends on what part of civil society gets heard. Also, in terms of development, it is clear that Indigenous peoples and environmentalist NGOs and other civil society organizations are not always in agreement in terms of goals. In order to achieve the best outcomes, there must be direct communication between ALL community members who will be affected by development in order to achieve consensus on community goals. From this position, other civil society groups can be engaged, if necessary, to provide support on the terms established by the community. Chris Ugochukwu Civil society involvement may not always lead to better outcomes. However, their involvement may serve as a check on the government to ensure transparency. Civil society can provide inputs for the administration in the drive to ensure public sector transparency. These inputs are necessary considering the fact that it is the members of the community that ultimately suffer if the public sector is not transparent. Both civil society and government should be partners in efforts to ensure public sector transparency. Aloysius Njie Ajua Civil society involvement will always lead to better results if a broad spectrum of organizations are involved and if those involved are not organizations which are set up by the Government. Are those involved known by many people to be free thinkers? César S. Rafael I think it helps a lot. A well informed public will participate in increasing the credibility of government. To ensure transparency and accountability in the public sector is essential to promote freedom of information, consultation, and participation and implementation of public policies. Rajaratnam Abel Not necessarily. Sometimes civil society organizations (CSOs) are worse than the government as far as corruption is concerned. There is a need for sifting of CSOs first and then developing their capacity for proper working relationships. Dr. Vikas KThe requested resource (/editor/default/) is not availableishor Desai Not always. There are civil society groups with vested interest also. Civil society needs to be empowered enough to influence the outcome. Civil society involvement is not always sustainable. Civil society activities are also influenced by individual interest, capacity and vision and once the leadership is lost or changed the impact may change. Local focal success can hardly be generalized. Nkem David Atenchong Yes. The involvement of NGOs could lead to a favorable change in policies (pro-poor policies)at national levels because their involvement can stimulate the poor to advocate for change. Their involvement can also lead to a general understanding of how the public sectors function. The requested resource (/editor/default/) is not available Email this page Sign-up Quick Poll From Our Members How did Development Gateway members respond to our Public Sector Transparency Survey questions? How best can developing countries achieve public sector transparency? Who bears the cost of implementing e-government solutions? Is this cost always justified? Transparency: The next generation of government reform Daniel Kaufmann, Director of Global Programs at the World Bank Institute Read NGOs promote transparency through rewarding excellence Rhoda Kadalie, executive director of South Africa’s Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust Read How media pluralism advances government transparency Wijayananda Jayaweera, director of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development Communication Read Points of View: Government Read what government officials from Bolivia, Guatemala, and Tanzania say about public sector transparency. Read and comment Points of View: Civil Society What role does civil society play in advancing transparency in Bangladesh, Georgia, Romania, and Tanzania? Read and comment Points of View: E-Government How do online government tools promote transparency? Hear from e-government leaders from across sectors. Read and comment In Numbers How does global transparency measure up? Charts and graphs on how transparency measures up. 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