Stephen Davenport

Recent decades have seen important progress in strengthening country tax systems. Yet many areas of reform have remained stubbornly resistant to major improvements. Overall, revenue collection still falls short of that needed for effective governance and service delivery. Tax collection is too often riddled with high rates of evasion among large corporations and the rich and by disproportionate, though often hidden, burdens on lower-income groups. As countries around the world deal with the… Show more

Recent decades have seen important progress in strengthening country tax systems. Yet many areas of reform have remained stubbornly resistant to major improvements. Overall, revenue collection still falls short of that needed for effective governance and service delivery. Tax collection is too often riddled with high rates of evasion among large corporations and the rich and by disproportionate, though often hidden, burdens on lower-income groups. As countries around the world deal with the large debt burdens induced by COVID-19, an in-depth look at how to strengthen tax systems is especially timely. Innovations in Tax Compliance: Building Trust, Navigating Politics, and Tailoring Reform takes a fresh look at tax reform. The authors draw on recent research and experience for their new conceptual framework to guide more effective approaches to reform. Building on the achievements of recent decades, they argue for a greater emphasis on the overlapping goals of building trust, navigating political resistance, and tailoring reform to unique local contexts—an emphasis achieved by identifying the most binding constraints on reform. This focus not only can lead to greater compliance, a fairer system, and higher revenues, but also can contribute to building state capacity, sustained political support for further reforms, and a stronger fiscal contract between citizens and governments. Show less

News headlines over the last few years have been filled with global scandals involving corruption on an unprecedented scale. They touch virtuallyevery continent, from Asia to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The scale, magnitude, and sophistication of the operations has increasingly risen to levels that many had not considered possible before. Governments are forever in search of new approaches and tools that can help identify loopholes and entry points for corrupt activities. While the… Show more

News headlines over the last few years have been filled with global scandals involving corruption on an unprecedented scale. They touch virtuallyevery continent, from Asia to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The scale, magnitude, and sophistication of the operations has increasingly risen to levels that many had not considered possible before. Governments are forever in search of new approaches and tools that can help identify loopholes and entry points for corrupt activities. While the containment of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and its devastating human and economic impacts have more recently been the focus of government actions, it is almost certain that huge amounts of spending in a short time, circumventing the standard operating procedures, will result in new corruption scandals in the post-COVID (coronavirus) years. There are already reports in papers regarding inflated food prices or favored medical contracts to firms from a few countries. In drawing on the past and looking ahead to the future, the time is ripe for the World Bank to take a fresh look at the state of play in tackling corruption and how countries are attempting to address this long-standing scourge on development. Show less

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic requires an unprecedented degree of cooperation between governments and citizens and across all facets of society to implement spatial distancing and other policy measures. This paper proposes to think about handling the pandemic as a collective action problem that can be alleviated by policies that foster trust and social connection. Policy and institutional recommendations are presented according to a three-layered pandemic response generally corresponding to… Show more

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic requires an unprecedented degree of cooperation between governments and citizens and across all facets of society to implement spatial distancing and other policy measures. This paper proposes to think about handling the pandemic as a collective action problem that can be alleviated by policies that foster trust and social connection. Policy and institutional recommendations are presented according to a three-layered pandemic response generally corresponding to short-, medium-, and long-term needs. This paper focuses on building connection and cooperation as means to bring about better health and socioeconomic outcomes. Many factors outside the paper’s scope, such as health policy choices, will greatly affect the outcomes. As such, the paper explores the role of trust, communication, and collaboration conditional on sound health and economic policy choices. Show less

This paper presents a conceptual framework for developing more effective approaches to tax reform and compliance. The framework proposes that by combining complementary investments in enforcement, facilitation, and trust, reformers can not only strengthen enforced compliance but can also (a) encourage quasi-voluntary compliance, (b) generate sustainable political support for reform, and (c) create conditions that are more conducive to the construction of stronger fiscal contracts. A key… Show more

This paper presents a conceptual framework for developing more effective approaches to tax reform and compliance. The framework proposes that by combining complementary investments in enforcement, facilitation, and trust, reformers can not only strengthen enforced compliance but can also (a) encourage quasi-voluntary compliance, (b) generate sustainable political support for reform, and (c) create conditions that are more conducive to the construction of stronger fiscal contracts. A key challenge for governments lies in finding the right combination of these three measures -- enforcement, facilitation, and trust—to achieve revenue and broader development goals. The framework proposes greater reliance on locally grounded binding constraints analysis, coupled with careful attention to understanding politics and the drivers of trust in particular contexts, to guide analysis of how best different investments may be combined, prioritized, or sequenced. This framework can help policy makers to think about the right combination of strategies in specific contexts, and thus to allocate resources most effectively. Show less

“Eyes and Ears” began in the summer of 2017, with the goal of holding the Nigerian government more accountable to its citizens. The project is centered in Kaduna, a state in northwest Nigeria that has long struggled with bouts of poverty and political instability.

An external audit conducted in Kaduna State a few years ago revealed the government was not delivering on promised critical infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals and roads. "The government had all these capital… Show more

“Eyes and Ears” began in the summer of 2017, with the goal of holding the Nigerian government more accountable to its citizens. The project is centered in Kaduna, a state in northwest Nigeria that has long struggled with bouts of poverty and political instability.

An external audit conducted in Kaduna State a few years ago revealed the government was not delivering on promised critical infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals and roads. "The government had all these capital investment projects underway, all these things they were building with the tax-payer dollar, but they didn't have enough people to monitor whether that work was getting done effectively,” explained Davenport.

At this point, the World Bank Group was asked by the Kaduna State Government to step in. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the World Bank Group, originally founded to aid countries impacted by World War II, provides loans to developing countries in areas such as education, health, infrastructure and private sector investment.

“The government decided, through an investment with us, to build out a tracking platform that would allow citizens to monitor projects on behalf of the government,” Davenport said. “Eyes and Ears equips citizens with a smartphone app that allows them to take photos and submit comments on infrastructure projects. This activity puts more power in the hands of citizens, and they feel more connected to their government. With this information, the government is able to make more effective, data-driven decisions as to where a hospital should be, where a school should be, etc.. So, ideally, we're helping them channel?? citizen feedback make more informed capital investment decisions Show less

The current study was designed to create a better understanding of the performance of the Georgia public procurement system from 2013 to 2016. Guided by specific concerns identified by officials from the Government of Georgia, the analysis examined a limited number of performance variables relating to the efficiency of the procurement process, and the value for money obtained through the procurement process.3 Overall, the study demonstrated that the public procurement system functions at a high… Show more

The current study was designed to create a better understanding of the performance of the Georgia public procurement system from 2013 to 2016. Guided by specific concerns identified by officials from the Government of Georgia, the analysis examined a limited number of performance variables relating to the efficiency of the procurement process, and the value for money obtained through the procurement process.3 Overall, the study demonstrated that the public procurement system functions at a high level of effectiveness, and is able to fulfill its core functions. At the same time, the study findings and recommendations identity a number of issues which present opportunities for improving outcomes in the short to medium term. The study approach, of using transaction level data to examine intermediate and final outcomes of the procurement system, may also serve to catalyze similar work in the future, and enable a rigorous and well-informed policy dialogue on how well the Georgia public procurement system meets the needs of the country and its people.

This note provides a brief overview of the size and composition of public procurement. It then examines performance in relation to two key outcome variables – the success rate of competitive tenders, and the level of competition in open procedures. The nature of the performance issues in these two areas are explored, and specific recommendations
are developed for improving performance in the short to medium term. A different perspective on performance is then provided through examining the degree to which small and medium firms participate in procurement tenders and are awarded contracts. A final section provides a limited number of recommendations on steps to establish a continuous
process of data analysis and performance evaluation. Show less

Mounting anecdotal evidence supports the case for open government. Sixty-nine national governments and counting have signed on as participants in the Open Government Partnership, committing to rethinking the way they engage with citizens, while civil society organizations (CSOs) are increasingly demanding and building mechanisms for this shift.

Yet even as the open government agenda gains steam, relatively little systematic research has been done to examine the ways different types and… Show more

Mounting anecdotal evidence supports the case for open government. Sixty-nine national governments and counting have signed on as participants in the Open Government Partnership, committing to rethinking the way they engage with citizens, while civil society organizations (CSOs) are increasingly demanding and building mechanisms for this shift.

Yet even as the open government agenda gains steam, relatively little systematic research has been done to examine the ways different types and sequences of reforms have played out in various contexts, and with what impact. This is due in part to the newness of the field, but also to the challenges in attributing specific outcomes to any governance initiative. While acknowledging that the search for cookie-cutter “best practices” is of limited value, there is no doubt that reform-minded actors could benefit from a robust analytical framework and more thorough understanding of experiences in different contexts to date.

To address these knowledge gaps, and to sharpen our ways of thinking about the difference that open government processes can make, a range of public, academic, and advocacy organizations established a research consortium to convene actors, leverage support, and catalyze research. Its founding members are Global Integrity, The Governance Lab @ NYU (The GovLab), the World Bank's Open Government Global Solutions Group, Open Government Partnership Support Unit, and Results for Development Institute. The Consortium aims to build on existing research – including but not limited to the work of existing research networks such as the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Opening Governance – to improve our understanding of the effectiveness and impact of open government reforms. Show less

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) just concluded its third Global Summit. Government, civil society, and development partner representatives from over one hundred countries met in Mexico City to strengthen international cooperation around the open government agenda.

This year the summit emphasized connections between the OGP mission and the slate of newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at ending extreme poverty by 2030.

Delegates to the summit vowed to… Show more

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) just concluded its third Global Summit. Government, civil society, and development partner representatives from over one hundred countries met in Mexico City to strengthen international cooperation around the open government agenda.

This year the summit emphasized connections between the OGP mission and the slate of newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at ending extreme poverty by 2030.

Delegates to the summit vowed to contribute to achievement of SDG Goal 16, and committed to mainstreaming open government principles such as including transparency, citizen participation, accountability and integrity, and technology and innovation into implementation of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Show less

With the ink barely dry on the Sustainable Development Goals, naturally the just-completed Open Government Partnership annual summit focused on how greater openness can accelerate progress toward the goals.

The open government agenda is most closely linked to the ambitious Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which among other targets includes the objective of ensuring “responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” Though progress… Show more

With the ink barely dry on the Sustainable Development Goals, naturally the just-completed Open Government Partnership annual summit focused on how greater openness can accelerate progress toward the goals.

The open government agenda is most closely linked to the ambitious Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which among other targets includes the objective of ensuring “responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” Though progress in this area is maddeningly difficult to quantify, evidence increasingly shows that participation, the next transparency frontier, matters to development outcomes. Making the target explicit, it is hoped, will galvanize efforts in the right direction.

There are many issues one could propose to tackle with citizen engagement strategies, but to narrow the topic of discussion, let’s consider just one: enabling smart growth in the world’s exploding cities and megacities. Estimates suggest that by 2035 most of the world’s extreme poor will live in urban areas.

Much of the innovation in open government comes from subnational governments (including city governments). Show less

The World Bank Group sees the pillars of a more open and citizen centric government--transparency, citizen participation, and collaboration--as strategic priorities in its work on governance because they suggest concrete ways to promote shared prosperity. Having made significant strides to increasing openness in the Bank's own work, we seek to build on this progress to support client governments in their own efforts to make the development process more inclusive.

Within the World Bank’s… Show more

The World Bank Group sees the pillars of a more open and citizen centric government--transparency, citizen participation, and collaboration--as strategic priorities in its work on governance because they suggest concrete ways to promote shared prosperity. Having made significant strides to increasing openness in the Bank's own work, we seek to build on this progress to support client governments in their own efforts to make the development process more inclusive.

Within the World Bank’s Governance Global Practice (GGP), we are excited by the potential of openness for governance and development. At the same time, we recognize that the true value of openness has yet to be fully realized. That is why within our work, we are rethinking the way we support open government in an effort to ensure our commitments to openness translate into tangible improvements in service delivery, citizen engagement and development outcomes. Show less

The use of data and technology in procurement make it possible for governments to make informed decisions to maximize development impact. At the World Bank, the Public Integrity and Openness Practice is developing a set of Transformational Engagements, one of which focuses on Data Analytics, to catalyze better outcomes from procurement processes.

The engagement will use data analytics to solve pressing developmental problems. The plan is to combine work on addressing common data… Show more

The use of data and technology in procurement make it possible for governments to make informed decisions to maximize development impact. At the World Bank, the Public Integrity and Openness Practice is developing a set of Transformational Engagements, one of which focuses on Data Analytics, to catalyze better outcomes from procurement processes.

The engagement will use data analytics to solve pressing developmental problems. The plan is to combine work on addressing common data problems (how to digitize paper records, how to link different data records, how to present data findings in ways that are accessible and influential) with efforts at the country level. Powered by advanced data analysis, countries can undertake empirical-based examinations of when best value is achieved via procurement, or in which cases and sectors government contracting is promoting the development of competitive and dynamic private sectors. Show less

In this project, we analyzed whether mobile phone-based surveys are a feasible and cost-effective approach for gathering statistically representative information in four low-income countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe). Specifically, we focused on three primary research questions. First, can the mobile phone survey platform reach a nationally representative sample? Second, to what extent does linguistic fractionalization affect the ability to produce a representative… Show more

In this project, we analyzed whether mobile phone-based surveys are a feasible and cost-effective approach for gathering statistically representative information in four low-income countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe). Specifically, we focused on three primary research questions. First, can the mobile phone survey platform reach a nationally representative sample? Second, to what extent does linguistic fractionalization affect the ability to produce a representative sample? Third, how effectively does monetary compensation impact survey completion patterns?

We find that samples from countries with higher mobile penetration rates more closely resembled the actual population. After weighting on demographic variables, sample imprecision was a challenge in the two lower feasibility countries (Ethiopia and Mozambique) with a sampling error of +/- 5 to 7 percent, while Zimbabwe’s estimates were more precise (sampling error of +/- 2.8 percent). Surveys performed reasonably well in reaching poor demographics, especially in Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Rural women were consistently under-represented in the country samples, especially in Afghanistan and Ethiopia. Countries’ linguistic fractionalization may influence the ability to obtain nationally representative samples, although a material effect was difficult to discern through penetration rates and market composition. Although the experimentation design of the incentive compensation plan was compromised in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, it seems that offering compensation for survey completion mitigated attrition rates in several of the pilot countries while not reducing overall costs. These effects varied across countries and cultural settings. Show less

The World Bank recognizes the value of engaging with citizens to improve delivery of basic services and get real time development solutions to our clients and their people. In light of its work in the area of technology-enabled enabled citizen feedback, the World Bank Institute is holding a series of events on digital engagement.

In the past several decades, international development aid has been the focal point of high profile public campaigns and academic debates. These debates generally fall along a lengthy spectrum of ideological stances that view aid, on the one hand, as a potential panacea for countries stuck in poverty traps and, on the other, the perpetrator of persistent poverty and underdevelopment in the world. Behind this vitriolic battle is a growing awareness that what we actually know and do not know… Show more

In the past several decades, international development aid has been the focal point of high profile public campaigns and academic debates. These debates generally fall along a lengthy spectrum of ideological stances that view aid, on the one hand, as a potential panacea for countries stuck in poverty traps and, on the other, the perpetrator of persistent poverty and underdevelopment in the world. Behind this vitriolic battle is a growing awareness that what we actually know and do not know about aid and its effects is contingent upon the quantity and quality of available data.
Show less

Aid is often a one-way street where citizens have little influence over practice. Do 'feedback loops' have the potential to make NGOs, donors and governments truly responsive?

We need the right tools – and skills – to make sense of data, but before that we need to take a hard look at where we are now. Open data and open development are gaining traction, making us development professionals a little nervous. The visuals are cool, the statements are bold, but what's in it for me? How does it help me do my job better? If open data is the "gateway drug" to using data to solve serious development issues then we need to take a hard look at where we are, so we can work out… Show more

We need the right tools – and skills – to make sense of data, but before that we need to take a hard look at where we are now. Open data and open development are gaining traction, making us development professionals a little nervous. The visuals are cool, the statements are bold, but what's in it for me? How does it help me do my job better? If open data is the "gateway drug" to using data to solve serious development issues then we need to take a hard look at where we are, so we can work out how to get to where we want to go. Show less

Co-working spaces, or "Hubs," come in all shapes and sizes and typically have snazzy themes; incubator, accelerator, meet up, etc. They are also all the rage, popping up everywhere from the US to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Although the ambitions and intent behind each hub are noble and good, these initiatives often struggle both operationally and financially.

Why is the OpenGov Hub different?

http://www.opengovhub.org

Open Data is a Gateway Drug...

This year I took a stab at fantasy football, which is like other fantasy sports (FIFA Soccer, Baseball, etc.), where you select individual players using statistics and form virtual teams that compete each week against other virtual teams in a pseudo league. It's for sports fanatics.

I was always skeptical on how "fun" that would be given that I played football myself in high school and am naturally hesitant to use pure statistics to predict winners and losers in competitive sports. Even… Show more

This year I took a stab at fantasy football, which is like other fantasy sports (FIFA Soccer, Baseball, etc.), where you select individual players using statistics and form virtual teams that compete each week against other virtual teams in a pseudo league. It's for sports fanatics.

I was always skeptical on how "fun" that would be given that I played football myself in high school and am naturally hesitant to use pure statistics to predict winners and losers in competitive sports. Even so, I set up a league, read up on the rules, asked around and enlisted 7-8 of my college friends to join my league. As the "commissioner" I held unlimited power. We had a blast, I got crushed. Show less

As a child, Stephen Davenport’s summer vacations differed from the average trip to camp. From age 8 through high school graduation, he spent his months off school with his dad, a minister, in Haiti. When a tragic 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti’s capital in January 2010, it hit close to home — or home away from home — for Davenport (IEMBA ’06).