The 2013 Aid Transparency Index: MCC Tops The List, But Room For Improvement In U.S. Government

By: Staff Person
October 31, 2013

The report praised the MCC’s progress on transparency, and congratulated the agency for publishing high-quality information in line with the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), an initiative working to make information about spending on development easier to access, understand, and use. It also pointed out that all of the MCC’s current Compacts and Threshold Programs are published in IATI XML on MCC’s website, and the information on the Foreign Assistance Dashboard includes planning, obligation, and spending data.

MCC Named Most Transparent Donor in 2013 Aid Transparency Index

By: Staff Person
October 24, 2013

U.S. progress in terms of making data available is notable—and the State Department announced this week that the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) joined State, DOD, USAID, MCC, and Treasury in adding data to the Foreign Assistance Dashboard. But it is essential that the data be useful. Publishing to the IATI Standard, the only open data standard for aid information, ensures that data is comparable and usable for donors and recipients of aid.

2013 Aid Transparency Index

By: Staff Person
October 24, 2013

At the policy level, the commitment and leadership of the Obama administration—through several White House directives instructing all agencies to embrace open government and open data that is machine readable and readily usable—has been superb. It has demonstrated it understands the value of making U.S. assistance data publicly available through the innovative Foreign Assistance Dashboard and subsequent agreement to join the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

What We’re Hoping To See In The Next Release Of USAID Data

By: Staff Person
October 15, 2013

There are other improvements USAID could make. These range from the seemingly nitpicky but actually crucial (like making sure that unique identifiers for organizations are present, consistent and accurate), to the more obviously important (like providing information on results). The way in which data is currently presented on the Dashboard is also an obstacle to use. Still, making these changes would go a long ways to making this data useful to all stakeholders.

The (Re-)Birth of the Rethinking US Development Policy Program

By: Staff Person
September 9, 2013

To reflect the changing times, the Rethink program will change as well. I will be taking a more expansive view – broadening the program’s scope from a singular focus on U.S. foreign assistance to a wider assessment of U.S. development policy tools. In doing this, I will be drawing upon the Center’s immense in-house expertise across a full range of issues.

New CAP Report on Promoting Private-Sector Development Solutions

By: Staff Person
August 23, 2013

In a new paper from the Center for American Progress, The Role of the U.S. Government in Promoting Private-Sector Development Solutions, CAP Chair John Podesta and MFAN Principal John Norris examine this “seismic shift” and how it should affect the mindset and policies of both public and private development practitioners.

Local Ownership: Who, What, and How

By: Staff Person
August 15, 2013

See below for excerpts from a piece by Melissa Kaplan, advocacy manger for aid reform and effectiveness at InterAction. Kaplan writes about local ownership and the recent report from Mercy Corps that uses extensive field research and interviews to examine how local ownership is being implemented–ultimately providing recommendations to USAID for how the agency can improve its efforts.

USAID Adds Financial Transaction Data to Dashboard

By: Staff Person
July 30, 2013

The information that has recently been posted is referred to as “financial transaction data”—data regarding disbursements including vendors, locations, award titles, etc. While all USAID data previously published on the Dashboard is aggregated, the new, disaggregated records contribute greatly to the depth of information available within certain countries and sectors.

Pledge Guarantee for Health: Working Better, Faster and Smarter

By: Staff Person
July 17, 2013

USAID, in partnership with Swedish SIDA, is proud to help support and scale up PGH by providing a $50 million credit guarantee using USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA). This co- guarantee will allow PGH to access up to $100 million of credit from commercial banks. This $100 million of credit can “revolve” up to 10 times, meaning it has the potential to generate up to $1 billion of transaction over the five year guarantee period.

Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability: It’s Something We Can All Agree On

By: Staff Person
July 15, 2013

“Many problems facing Congress today seem intractable, and our legislative branch is often stymied by partisan rancor that prevents the implementation of much-needed solutions to pressing problems. The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act represents a chance to break through this logjam and enact common-sense legislation that will enable our foreign assistance programs to work better.”