The potential of open data to impact resource allocation for poverty eradication in Kenya and Uganda
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Date
2014
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Development Initiatives Africa Hub
Abstract
Between
January
2013
and
May
2014,
Development
Initiatives
and
Development
Research
and
Training
were
part
of
the
Open
Data
in
Developing
Countries
(ODDC)
study,
a
multi
case
study
initiative
funded
by
the
WWF
and
IDRC
that
sought
to
ascertain
the
impact
Open
Data
is
having
in
transforming
developing
countries.
The
Uganda/Kenya
case
study
investigated
Impact
of
Open
Data
on
resource
allocation
for
poverty
eradication
in
Uganda
and
Kenya.
This
case
study
was
premised
on
the
experiences
of
countries
that
have
been
involved
in
Open
Data
since
the
beginning.
Open
data
has
its
roots
in
the
Open
Government
Partnership
founded
in
2009
and
launched
in
2011,
initially
with
a
membership
of
eight
countries1
but
which
has
since
grown
to
63
(In
East
Africa,
Kenya
and
Tanzania
are
members
but
Uganda
has
not
yet
signed
up2
despite
increasing
calls
to
do
so3).
Its
aim
is
providing
an
international
platform
for
domestic
reformers
committed
to
making
their
governments
more
open,
accountable,
and
responsive
to
citizens.
There
has
been
increasing
enthusiasm
by
governments
since
then
to
publish
data
online.
Many
members
have
since
established
national
data
webportals
and
made
avail
huge
amounts
of
data
that
were
previously
not
in
the
public
domain.
The
impact
of
this
on
resource
allocation
and
the
broader
transparency
agenda
has
been
significant.
It
has
created
more
upward
information
flow,
local,
national
and
international
pressures
and
bottom-‐up
citizen
and
political
pressures4
on
governments
to
be
more
open.