Policy seminar: Exploring the links between information access and effective government

Access to information, whether it is a citizen seeking information on her local politicians’ mandate or a state minister seeking data on the performance of a local municipality, is critical for improving the quality of life of people living in rural areas. Although such access is slowly expanding in low-income countries, big questions remain about which types of information, delivery mechanisms, and institutional arrangements are best for improving rural services and governance.

The journal World Development addresses these questions in a recent special issue on the theme Information, Governance, and Rural Service Delivery, co-edited by IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Katrina Kosec and Princeton Professor Leonard Wantchekon (see their recent blog post on the topic). An Oct. 21 IFPRI policy seminar explored these issues.

Photo Credit: Jamed Falik/IFPRI