World Bank's Open Learning Campus (audio)

Excluded people exist in all countries, making social inclusion a universal concern. It is relevant for developing countries and for developed economies. It is also an important element of the post-MDG development agenda.

For policy makers and development practitioners, understanding the underlying processes of exclusion and inclusion is an important step in diagnosing and addressing the problem.

This podcast is an introduction to fundamental concepts and processes related to social inclusion. It will provide answers to questions such as “What is social inclusion?” and “Who gets excluded and why?” The presenter will draw important distinctions between social exclusion and related concepts of inequality, poverty, and discrimination.

The session will use definitions, operating framework, and examples from the recent World Bank Group report “Inclusion Matters” and from other relevant publications on the subject.

A podcast that takes a closer look at a toolkit designed for the smart cities of the developing world.

A podcast on implementing the right to information taken from the findings 12 Countries.

A podcast on the Best Practice issues behind finance markets in dealing with Public-Private Partnerships.

A podcast on the Best Practice issues of debt financing support when dealing with Public-Private Partnerships.

A podcast that looks at the best practices of grain storage and public-private partnerships.

This podcast presents a review of current practices on the disclosure of information on PPP projects and contracts, and discusses the desired features of a framework for proactive disclosure in PPPs. Many countries have been trying to implement freedom-of information legislation and this includes applying it to their PPP programs, a topic that is addressed in this webinar. In addition, this webinar will also briefly discuss the current work being done by the World Bank and other multilateral institutions in this area.

The objective is to disseminate knowledge to countries and practitioners that are looking at ways to increase the transparency of their PPP programs and to streamline disclosure practices; as well as to inform the global dialogue on open contracting.

Right to information (RTI) systems are practical components of government administration that reflect commitment to the principle of transparency. An RTI system aims to increase the transparency of government by providing regular and reliable information to the public and facilitating appropriate and relevant use of that information. However, disclosing information, maintaining accurate and thorough records, and sharing information with other agencies frequently constitute major challenges to an entrenched bureaucratic culture.

Performance monitoring of RTI systems involves the tracking of progress and an assessment of whether organizational objectives have been achieved. It is an ongoing process of collecting data on how well an RTI system is on track to meet its objectives, and it is extremely important for both real-time and end-of-year evaluations that feed into budgets, resource allocation, and investments in technology for improved processes. By collecting statistics and tracking implementation of the RTI law, agencies can determine how best to strengthen RTI systems. The data, if reported accurately and with useful metrics, have the potential to serve as one of the benchmarks for measuring the performance of a country’s RTI system over time.

This webinar will discuss the findings of a study on requests and appeals data published by central reporting bodies in eight countries: South Africa, the United States, Thailand, Jordan, India, Mexico, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Overall, the unevenness of reporting in the countries included in the study suggests that a global discussion on RTI reporting could be worthwhile and enable more effective monitoring and implementations of RTI laws within countries, as well as facilitate the sharing of data on experiences between countries.

Speakers from Africa and the Caribbean will share their experiences on how to address the widening gap between the public and private sectors in their effective use of technology and design, by focusing on building civic technology capacity within civil societies and partnership with local governments.

Code for Africa (CfAfrica) is the continent's largest open data initiative, using technology and data to help citizens shape their governments and hold those in power to account. CfAfrica currently has country-based programmes in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.