Data is not only the fuel of digital technologies but the basis for informed decision-making. However, governments in developing countries often lack access to reliable data as well as the human and financial resources to produce and analyse the data they need.
In his article on the OECD development matters blog, the researcher Mustafizur Rahman explores how public-private partnerships can provide a remedy to this problem. According to Rahman, non-state actors, including think tanks, NGOs, and the private sector, gather and produce significant amounts of information. This data treasure could serve as a powerful tool for policymakers. A good example comes from Bangladesh: In the South Asian country, the Centre for Policy Dialogue successfully collaborated with the National Bureau of Statistics on the impact of the pandemic and the effects of three nationwide relief programmes.
The two-way collaboration has positive effects on both sides. Non-state actors can become more proactively engaged in the work of government agencies. The latter becomes more credible and has the information policymakers need.
If you want to find out what we do in this field, check out our policy initiative Data4Policy.
