Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Alan Levy's statement that Our goal should not be to create forums for collaboration, which already proliferate, but an actual collaboration certainly resonates with me. In fact, resources and efforts spent on additional fora should be compared with the additional action and impact resulting from them. Otherwise, I'd argue that they are counterproductive - since the same energy and efforts could be invested in more concrete actions. Moreover they can induce a type of forum fatigue which could act in detriment of the very true value that these meeting place can offer in principle. Thus I hope that fora (and also networks) can be assessed in terms of the added value they can bring to the work which participating institutions and individuals are carrying out anyway - the So what? question my boss has made famous at UNV. After all, the Millennium Development Goals don't include more events nor declarations. And they are the yardsticks by which progress can be ultimately measured. Manuel Acevedo UNITeS programme manager United Nations Volunteeers ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Piggybacking connectivity. Scott Robinson's posting on piggybacking donor connectivity in developing countries in order to ensure rural access to the digital world hits the spot. There is a developing donor awareness of the need for rural connectivity but it remains largely a blind spot with discussions of rural infrastructure focusing on low end water and road improvements. A mapping of donor sponsored connectivity would show as Scott Robinson's post suggests many opportunities for extending connectivity in line with 'economic' projects. Such a mapping could usefully appear on the World Bank site. Margaret Grieco Professor of Transport and Society Napier University and Visiting Fellow Lucy Cavendish College University of Cambridge ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
This seems a good candidate for a thoughtful case study, especially appropriate during the International Year of the Mountains. I am amazed that mountains symbolize essential communications sites for cell towers and other hardware, yet the people dwelling in those same mountains seldom seem able to reap the benefits (economic, technological) in their own indigenous communities, even in industrialized countries. The advantages of modern ICTs seem to skip over them. Perhaps Martha Davies could comment on this Andean example, since she has done so much to help bring ICTs to local communities in Peru. Scott Robinson wrote: Peter Burgess' recent post is on the mark. His comments re accountability and the lack of same in the Development Business are germane to any evaluation of the World Bank Group, its websites and investment strategies. A recent discovery of mine merits mention here: an IT for development and community telecenter conference in northern Peru two months ago programmed a visit to a highland village inaugurating a low power community radio station (using truck batteries for power). En route to and fro our group shoehorned into two microbuses passed the largest gold mine in Latin America, Minera Yanacocha. With its satellite-fed Internet connection to its offices on the pÂ…ramo, above 3500 meters, it seemed logical to request the company offer fixed wireless connectivity to the many villages within and on the perimeter of its extensive subsurface mineral concessions impacting several communities. Upon return home, I discovered there is a dispute being adjudicated by the internal IFC Ombudsman office re this mine, and that IFC has a 10% equity share in the operation (with Newmont Mining, Denver, Colorado). We can only ask why can't the good World Bank / Int'l Finance Corp. planners and program officers see fit to add a minor line item in the project budget that would offer the virtues of connectivity to those who have none and whose livelihood is placed at risk by toxic, mercury spills in their delicate Andean highland econiche? ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Dear GKD Participants, To follow on Peter Burgess's comments re the lack of value of the World Bank's website. It seems to me that many of the comments reflect an unhappiness with the World Bank itself rather than with the website. Stated issues included unhappiness with the perceived: a) dominance of the WB in development thinking, especially in the north, b) general institutional lack of accountability, and c) lack of independent analysis of results. Taking these perceptions at face value, I would argue that instead of the web exacerbating the above issues, the WB website is in fact one of the best tools to address them. By making WB data and research, etc available to everyone w/ an internet connection, more people have access to information that allows them to do their own research, publish their own papers, and come up with their own viewpoints. So, far from consolidating a dominant viewpoint, the web in fact facilitates diverse opinions. Additionally, by publishing project and country information (including the name of the task manager), the WB enables the public to hold it and its partners accountable. Implementation of the revised disclosure policy will make even more information available. Transparency aids not only accountability, but also participation, through mechanisms such as online consultations about policies or strategies (clearly a downside here is the lack of connectivity in many areas). Lastly, the WB has an entire site devoted to evaluation of its results run by the independent OED department, see http://www.worldbank.org/oed/. While this certainly doesn't replace independent analysis by other groups (which indeed would be very useful), it certainly provides a good base for those interested in the subject. So, while I agree that there are certainly many areas for improvement in the development process and institutions, I think the web, especially the WB website, is a phenomenal tool for making it more open, responsive, inclusive, and accountable. Best regards, Katie Katie Bannon [EMAIL PROTECTED] World Bank Web Team Note: The above does not represent the view of the World Bank but is my own personal opinion. ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Greetings to all, Thank you Peter Ellis for your reaction. One may not share the World Bank overall corporate strategy, but at least should recognize the tremendous progress made by the WB group so far to disseminate information and to share knowledge. Unfortunately or fortunately I have not seen or have not paid attention to such statement, but, though I do respect other's personal views and assessment, I am far from agreeing with this perhaps too much personal judgment. For researchers working in developing countries, the WB site and the miscellaneous links that are provided, (http://www.developmentgateway.org/, http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/, http://www.infoDev.org to mention a few) stand for an invaluable knowledge resource center, provided that those researchers have internet- connection facilities; but this is an other issue. Currently doing research in ICT and poverty alleviation in Sub Saharan Africa, I must say that the WB site is among the sites I most visit and the information I am harnessing from it is very much helpful. Gaston Zongo ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Dear GKD Members, I do agree with Peter Ellis that the Bank has enormous quantity of information generated through development research. Quite often, critics feel that the Bank has only its own documents and none else. Recently, I undertook a study to ananlyse the availability of anti-corruption literature on the web. To my surprise, the Bank and its wing, the WBI posses the most, much more than Transparency International (TI), the leading NGO in this field. The leading NGOs and the academics should not hesitate to admit that they lose out in the aspect of publishing their work and making it available online. Efforts by certain networks such as Oneworld, OECD, Bellanet are commendable. The proposed Corruption Online Research and Information System of TI is a step towards this. But, we need to initiate many more such networks focussing on thematic issues - not to compete with the Bank but to compliment their efforts. Perhaps the Bank will make some funds available for such efforts? Warm wishes Shadrach B. Shadrach Department of Information Science Loughborough University Loughborough LE11 3TU Phone: 0044-1509-223079 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people have written to this list mentioning in passing that there is nothing of value on the World Bank website. I won't claim there is anything of value to them (not knowing what they want), but cannot let the statement pass as a generalisation. The World Bank website is an extraordinary source of information on everything from Bank performance to the enormous quantity of development research (eg the cutting edge of applied development economics) readily and freely available in searchable electronic format. For those working in the relevant field, it is sometimes hard to remember how much better off we are now than 10 years ago in this respect. ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] Value of World Bank Website
Peter, As one of the central coordinators of the World Bank website, I just wanted to say that it is extremely nice to get your positive feedback on the value of the site. There are many webmasters throughout the institution who have worked very hard to make the site more useful, interesting, and relevant. A few of the major improvements made over the last year or two, which may be of interest to some, include: * more than 14,000 documents are now downloadable in .pdf format in the documents, research, and other subsites; * a new search engine (released this spring); * revised design and reorganized sections for news and the about us section; * information on 100+ countries and topics; * online discussions consultations on a variety of topics, such as the rural development strategy; * publishing of contract awards for the last 2 years (in projects section); and * availability of basic lending project information from 1947 - present. Based on a user survey we did, we are now in the process of making documents easier to download and writing more basic overview information as well as continuing to translate materials and improve the overall design. We would love to get suggestions from people about areas that they would like to see improved or information they would like to see added (please email comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED]). Best regards, Katie Katie Bannon [EMAIL PROTECTED] World Bank Web Team [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people have written to this list mentioning in passing that there is nothing of value on the World Bank website. I won't claim there is anything of value to them (not knowing what they want), but cannot let the statement pass as a generalisation. The World Bank website is an extraordinary source of information on everything from Bank performance to the enormous quantity of development research (eg the cutting edge of applied development economics) readily and freely available in searchable electronic format. For those working in the relevant field, it is sometimes hard to remember how much better off we are now than 10 years ago in this respect. ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
