A Long Way to Go for Data to Make a Difference

Countries have a long way to go before data begins to make a difference. The OGP Global Report: Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box synthesizes Open Government Partnership findings to provide comparable snapshots of all OGP members. It combines this with data published by respected partners, including Open Data Watch’s Open Data Inventory (ODIN), allowing readers to learn about their country’s progress in OGP and compare it to real-world performance in other selected dimensions.

Blog

November 2019

In November, the Data2X’s event, Big Data, Big Impact? The Future of Gender-Sensitive Data Systems was followed by a regional meeting on gender statistics in Accra that fell on African Statistics Day. The month ended with a workshop and training on how to improve open data within the General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia…

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Country Profiles: Bridging the Gap

This set of 15 country profiles presents country-specific findings from Bridging the Gap: Mapping Gender Data Availability in Africa that examines the availability and quality of data for 104 gender-relevant indicators across six key domains: health, education, economic empowerment, political participation, human security, and environment.

Publications

October 2019

October saw meetings all over the world reinforce support for data-driven solutions and strong statistical capacity. PARIS21 and UN Women acted to strengthen national statistical systems and produce quality gender statistics. Palestine held a Data Festival to promote creative initiatives to improve decision making. An SDSN TReNDS event looked at how cities measure SDGs…

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Data Deprivation: Progress Has Stalled

At a moment when everyone talks about gushing big data, it may seem contrarian to say the world is short of data. But a look at NSO websites or the database of SDG indicators shows many gaps. The median coverage score of the 178 countries in ODIN is only 44 percent. This blog moves from general to specific, looking at data crucial to monitoring the first SDG goal: eradicating poverty.

Blog

September 2019

September was a busy month for the development data community. Held in New York City, the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) brought together stakeholders, politicians, donors, and statisticians to discuss topics such as data interoperability, civil registration and vital statistics, and financing for data.

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Counting on the World to Act

Counting on the World to Act, published by SDSN TReNDS, is an exceptional data report covering some specific areas of data governance that have been missing from the conversation so far, including discussion of amended laws, new data officers, the digital ecosystem, and the case for investment.

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August 2019

While August is typically a quiet month as offices slow down to enjoy summer vacation, the development data community has kept busy. The 62nd International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress 2019, a gathering of over 2,500 delegates comprised of statistical researchers, academia, industry practitioners, analysts, and policymakers, took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Additionally, organizations…

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