video

OpenAid is not yet on Twitter. We try to be present and responsive on other social networks. Why such a presence is important to the transparency agenda has been explained by Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, in a recent interview in Chile. Taking the example of how the current president of Chile is using Twitter Dorsey suggests that social networks change the way politics is done. Regular and personal updates of politicians about their daily activities and ongoing policy debates make politics much more transparent. Politicians and governments become much more approachable and human. Read more »

To increase accountability it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of civil society to understand, monitor and improve budget processes and outcomes in developing countries. An excellent example of social accountability is given in the following video published by the International Budget Partnership: In Kenya, members of parliament receive approximately one million dollars per year to spend on development projects in their constituencies through a scheme called the Constituency Development Fund. The MPs are able to spend this money with no meaningful Independent oversight. Citizen oversight was one the mechanism employed by Kenyan NGO Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI)to track and monitor the reality and quality of CDF community projects. Read more »