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How transparent are aid agencies to their citizens? Introducing the Citizen Aid Transparency Dataset

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  • Bernhard Reinsberg
  • Haley Swedlund

Abstract

Existing measures of aid transparency overwhelmingly focus on how much information donor agencies are willing to share with the international donor community, overlooking that transparency is about increasing citizens' access to information in order to improve government accountability. In this article, we present the Citizen Aid Transparency Dataset (CATD). Using factor and correlation analysis, we show that the CATD captures a different dimension of transparency than existing transparency measures. We also show that aid agency transparency varies both within and between donor countries and that there are important quality differences between agencies in the timeliness, breadth, depth and accessibility of the data provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Bernhard Reinsberg & Haley Swedlund, 2023. "How transparent are aid agencies to their citizens? Introducing the Citizen Aid Transparency Dataset," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 2177-2212, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:35:y:2023:i:7:p:2177-2212
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.3762
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    5. Caixia Wang & Huijie Li, 2025. "What influences the capacity of donor agency for sustainable development: a study of climate aid projects," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(7), pages 16941-16961, July.

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