Transparency International

1
the coalition against corruption
Enlisting Information Technology In The Fight
Against Corruption
Nancy Boswell Transparency International Board
of Directors President and CEO, Transparency
International-USA World Bank e-Development
Seminar Leveraging e-Government for Successful
Anti-Corruption Programs January 17, 2007
www.transparency.org
2
Information Technologys Promise

• Transparency a key prerequisite to
• governmental integrity
• Transparency access to information
• Technology solutions can increase
• access to information exponentially

• Technology should be a fundamental tool in the
• fight against corruption

3
Key Actors Transparency

• Bank transparency
• Meetings with officials, country strategies,
  procurement, budget support, INT data (across
  MDBs and with public), whistleblower/real time
  response
• Borrower transparency
• Laws regulations, budget, procurement,
  judicial decisions, asset disclosure, political
  finance
• Civil society transparency media, private sector

4
Technology Can Contribute To . .

• Promoting Accountability
• Reducing Opportunities For Extortion
• Mitigating Corruption Risks
• Enhancing Research

5
Promoting Accountability

• Transparency permits citizen oversight
  participation
• Media access to information enhances public
  scrutiny
• IT facilitates citizen capacity to communicate,
  organize networks advocate reform

6
Reducing Opportunities For Extortion

• Publication of laws regulations increases
  predictability
• IT transparency in procurement, licensing
  revenue collection reduces discretion
  contact with officials

No Bribes
7
Mitigating Corruption Risks

• Databases enable expanded due diligence
• New software helps identify red flags
  patterns of fraud
• IT permits real-time reporting

8
Enhancing Research

• IT enhances
• Information sharing among researchers and
  practitioners
• Improved data collection (surveys) and analysis
  about corruption and ways of combating it
• Benchmarking progress and comparison to best
  practices

9
Caveats IT has limits

• Not a substitute for political will
• Limited infrastructure less than 20 world
  population access internet less than 4 in
  Africa
• Capacity constraints media and civil society
  need skills to process and utilize information
• Poor utilization requires early integration in
  institutional reform timely and accessible
  information
• False promise reliance on false assumption that
  IT is panacea automated systems are
  corruption-proof
• Expense promising databases and software are
  accessible primarily to the richest market
  players

10
Nancy Boswell Transparency International Board
of Directors President and CEO, Transparency
International-USA nboswell_at_transparency-usa.org W
orld Bank e-Development Seminar Leveraging
e-Government for Successful Anti-Corruption
Programs January 17, 2007
www.transparency.org