Comparative Research on ICTs and Governance Data in Arab Region Christopher Wilson, UNDP Oslo Governance Centre

ICTs & Governance Data Broad scope –(sms surveys, big data, open government) In the Arab Region –Mapping problems –Monitoring performance

General Challenges Penetration Representation Proliferation and institutionalization

Comparative Research Report 27 national initiatives Generating, aggregating or disseminating data on governance 10 semi-structured interviews –Background, –End users, –Platform, –Stakeholders, and –Impact

Common Themes 1.Impact metrics are a problem, but all self- reported positive impact 2.Transparency consistently stymied by political processes 3.There is a consistent lack of coordination between offline and online activity.

Common Themes 4.The majority of initiatives using ICT have weak partnerships with local and national government. a.Government institutions are outdated, lacking the political will for reform, and operating with limited knowledge of contemporary ICTs. b.Despite the lack of government capacity, mid- level civil servants may be allies for reform efforts.

Common Themes 5.The relationship to national media is highly varied a.over-reliance on social media for outreach at the expense of other mediums. b.Perceived need to reach out to traditional media. c.attention of traditional media considered success. d.The relationship between ICT projects and traditional media is increasingly symbiotic.

Common Themes 6.Internet exclusion & the promise of mobile phones. “Despite these efforts, mobile appears to have limitations, and did not result in large user engagement rates or repeat user conversions. The interviewees had theories [but] none of the interviewees had been able to conclusively isolate these challenges through field observations or research.”

Common Themes 7.Competition among ICT initiatives exists, and could be fracture reform efforts and reduce impact.

Implications & Questions Promoting and questioning the reliability of data Engaging in questions of accessibility

Moving Forward Sharing across countries and contexts –Technology –Strategies –Partnerships and Capacities Information on multiple platforms

Moving Forward (2) Understanding Actionable Data –Accessible –Relevant –Manageable For UNDP –Supporting local collaboration –Convening multi-stakeholder actors