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Photo credit: National Democratic Institute
Civil society can often promote transparency in the public sector by participating in campaigns to pass Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. Freedom of information legislation requires governments to disseminate information that is requested or is of significant public interest. In essence, the legislation directly promotes transparency in the public sector. Today more than 50 countries have freedom of information laws, and 15–20 more are considering them.
The effectiveness of freedom of information laws requires efforts from both government and civil society. Government must pass sound legislation and establish clear institutional mechanisms for implementation of the law. Yet in many cases, civil society must pressure the government to pass these laws. Several organizations have been notably active in organizing freedom of information campaigns. Established in 1984, the Campaign for Freedom of Information based out of London has been working to ensure that FOI laws are implemented effectively. In South Africa, the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) provides services that help organizations campaign for and utilize FOI laws. The National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) has worked in India since 1966 to push forward laws promoting transparency. Finally, Article 19 is an organization working with partners in over 30 countries to strengthen their capacity to campaign for the free flow of information. In September 2000, Article 19’s Europe Programme embarked on a two-year project which focused on promoting freedom of information in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro and Romania. Most recently, Article 19 announced the launch of a freedom of information legislation campaign in Malasia.
Civil society organizations have also focused on ensuring that available information is accessible to citizens. In Macedonia, local organizations increasing the number of citizen
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Photo credit: World Bank
Throughout the 1990s, civil society organizations in some developing countries began to play a larger role in the budget process. In 1997, the International Budget Project (IBP) convened the first international meeting of civil society budget groups. The meeting was attended by 50 participants representing budget organizations in fourteen developing countries. By the third conference, the number of participants had increased to 100 participants from organizations representing 25 countries.
A large and growing number of civil society budget groups have taken up work to improve the transparency of their budget processes, as well as to open up avenues for participation. Civil society budget groups have completed country studies on these issues in at least 13 countries. Although the best way to measure transparency and participation in the budget process is not yet clear, three basic methodologies have emerged: the IBP/Idasa approach; the IMF approach; and the approach used in the Latin American study. Civil society organizations (CSOs) play an important role in this dialogue on best practices and methodologies. The Idasa/IBP method draws heavily from the IMF's methodology for assessing fiscal transparency. The two major distinctions between the two approaches are that the IMF reflects an emphasis on questions of interest to the international financial community and does not examine issues of participation in the budget process. The Latin American approach combines a survey with a research study of the legal framework for budget transparency in each country.
Furthermore, civil society organizations can assist auditors-general (AGs) detect budget problems in developing countries in several ways. In some countries CSOs participate in tracking expenditure, assisting with local auditing and measuring program performance. Other potential CSO activities such as, helping to monitor the executive’s follow-up to an audit report and parliamentary hearings, conducting initial investigations into financial mismanagement, and building citizen literacy on the AG’s function are not yet in widespread use.
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Photo Courtsey: Mukuna Bogati, Nepali Times
Media democracy refers to a system of communications that has as its foundation the direct, democratic participation of citizens. As more and more people are getting disillusioned with the dominant, agenda-setting corporate media, there has been an emphasis towards developing communication forums that provide quality of information, and a wide range of perspectives and voices, to promote participation in public discussion, and informed civic engagement.
Independent, community based grassroots media can also play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development. The emergence of community media builds on a growing recognition that core development goals like reducing poverty can be more effectively achieved by empowering and giving a voice to poor people themselves. Community radio, for instance, is one of the most efficient ways to communicate with the poor and illiterate, not only because radio is low cost and widespread, but because it is conducive to dialogue and to the oral tradition. Grassroots radio stations often reach larger audiences in developing countries than do traditional radio stations, informing the poor and empowering them by providing them a voice in public discourse, while helping communities organize on local issues.
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Photo Credit: Participation and Civic Engagement Group, World Bank
Freedom of information, including the right to access information held by public bodies, is essential for transparent and accountable government. The right of access to information enables the involvement of citizens in formulating social policies and in the decision-making processes of governance. Only with adequate information can people discuss and debate the activities of their government, and can civil society, sufficiently informed about what the government and its officials are doing, oversee and evaluate the government’s performance.
The right to information is increasingly being recognized as a fundamental human right, protected under international and constitutional law. The movement to promote the right of access to information has, in recent years, become a truly global movement. New laws which enable exercise of the right of access to government-held information are being passed in an increasing number of countries, thanks in large part to the efforts of civil society organizations.
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Photo Credit: Julio Pantoja, The World Bank
Civil Society, which is the third sector beyond the market and the state, is set of organizations that has attracted increased attention in recent years. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are emerging as important actors in promoting equitable and sustainable development. Another factor contributing to the attention these organizations are attracting is the sheer growth in their number and scale - a massive upsurge of organized private, voluntary activity appears to be underway in almost every corner of the world..
Despite their growing importance, however, these organizations remain poorly understood, making it difficult to determine what their capabilities really are or to attract attention to the challenges they face. The Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project was designed to fill these gaps in knowledge by developing the first systematic body of information about this crucial, but long- overlooked, set of institutions at the international level.
Work in 35 countries under the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project has unveiled important new information about the private, nonprofit sector throughout the world, and offers powerful empirical evidence about the scope and significance of this sector. Among other things, the results demonstrate that the nonprofit sector is a far more significant economic force around the
world than is commonly understood - representing a 1.3 trillion dollar industry.
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IJCSL publishes articles on a variety of topics and provides a venue for an international readership to learn about and express opinions on developments in law affecting civil society around the world. Volume II, Issue 3 (July 2004) of the International Journal of Civil Society Law is now available
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