Transparency in Africa

By Liam Day
May 20th, 2008

Really interesting forum on Africa in the latest issue of the Boston Review. What caught my eye were a series of comments on the first moves toward, as well as the need for, greater government transparency on the continent.

More broadly, efforts to shed light on the behavior of governments and inform voters are yielding real benefits. . . Greater transparency in public expenditures has led to a dramatic increase in the share of government revenue allocated to education that has actually made its way to the schools.

And in response to the question of what more Africa needs to consolidate recent economic, social and political gains:

The answer lies in transparency and accountability mechanisms that provide checks and balances, particularly in regard to public spending.

If it’s true for Africa, can it also be true for Massachusetts? Pioneer thinks so; it’s why we launched an effort to measure government data in Massachusetts’ Middle Cities. Massachusetts’ residents deserve to know what their taxes actually buy them.