For people interested in transparency and its impact on development, these are very interesting times. The last few years have seen a flurry of international initiatives aimed at promoting transparency in a variety of areas of government action. The Open Government Partnership, launched in 2011, already has more than 50 member governments who have undertaken to promote transparency and openness and to allow for independent reviews of their efforts. Transparency initiatives have existed for longer in the extractive industries and foreign aid sectors, two areas that are both sensitive and very important for international development. In the more specific and fundamental area of fiscal transparency, the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency has brought together key actors – governmental, non-governmental and inter-governmental – to design and promote improved global norms for transparency and citizen participation in the management of public resources.
