31 March 2010
BIC consultant, Bruce Jenkins publishes report examining gaps and gains in the World Bank's revised information disclosure policy.
press release
april 6, 2010
The Bank's conceptual leap with limits
Study highlights World Bank’s revised efforts at transparency
In December 2009, the World Bank released a revised policy on access to information. Civil society organizations have long sought expanded access to information in order to strengthen stakeholder engagement in development decision-making. In many respects, the Bank’s new policy responds to these calls. By shifting the structure of its policy and opening up new categories of routinely disclosed information, the Bank significantly broadens its transparency horizon.
Bruce Jenkins, a consultant with the Bank Information Center (BIC), examines the gaps and gains in the World Bank’s revised information disclosure policy in his March 2010 study entitled “The World Bank’s New Access to Information Policy: Conceptual leap with limits.” The assessment finds that while the new policy recognizes the centrality of transparency and accountability to the development process and includes principled commitments to strengthen public ownership and oversight of Bank-financed operations, a number of provisions compromise these objectives.
First, World Bank has made important progress in the realm of transparency. The new policy represents a conceptual leap for a leading international institution that could signal – and catalyze – changes in the Bank’s organizational culture toward greater openness. The policy rests on five key principles: maximizing access, clear exceptions, safeguarding the deliberative process, clear disclosure procedures, and the right to appeal. While not comprehensive, these principles are commonly found in national freedom of information systems, and correspond to some principles articulated in GTI’s Transparency Charter.
Though despite such gains, limitations to information access remain. The policy overextends protection of deliberative processes to the detriment of stakeholder engagement. The appeals and override mechanisms are constrained. Overly broad exceptions restrict critical categories of information. Importantly, as the Bank revamps its business model in the face of a more competitive development finance market, a range of transparency concerns could arise.
Finally, policy implementation is key to ultimately ensuring a culture of transparency at the institution. The new policy becomes effective July 1, 2010. In order to implement the new policy, the Bank needs to retool its internal information management systems and procedures, its public websites and, critically, its public dissemination and outreach strategies. It has put together an implementation plan and working groups in order to meet the July deadline. Amy Ekdawi, Manager of BIC’s campaign for World Bank transparency emphasized that “a key indicator of proper implementation would be the accessibility of information for those who are most affected by Bank’s operations - poor citizens in developing countries.”
According to Jenkins, “despite the limitations, the Bank’s new access to information policy places the Bank at the leading edge of transparency among the international financial institutions." He added that “full implementation in the face of countervailing pressures will be shaped by internal tussles over resources, turf, and the political muscle of powerful shareholders. External scrutiny, testing, and pressure from civil society organizations is required to bolster forces within the Bank that support participatory development decision-making.”
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The World Bank's new access to information policy: Conceptual leap with limits, By Bruce Jenkins, March 2010 (PDF 409 KB)