Here are several examples of how shared information leads to measurable development outcomes.  The first three examples are from two progress reports:  Strengthening World Bank Group Engagement on Governance and Anti-Corruption – Year One (2008) and Year Two (2009, forthcoming). The fourth example is taken from the Quarterly Journal of Economics. 

Community-level  infrastructure:  In Indonesia, A $1.5 billion urban poverty project delivers local infrastructure in a way that combines bottom-up participatory approaches and cutting edge use of internet technologies. Each of 10,000 communities has elected (by secret ballot from slates of nominees, with no direct campaigning, but over 40 percent voter turnout) eminent, respected local leaders to help prioritize local infrastructure needs, and to oversee their implementation. All contract tender opportunities, procurement awards, and implementation details are posted on a readily accessible and user-friendly website that receives over 700,000 visits annually. Infrastructure has been delivered at equivalent quality to conventional approaches – with cost savings (and hence freed-up resources for additional local investments – in excess of 30 percent.

Reduced malnutrition:  In Maharashtra, India, a community monitoring and scorecards pilot – which included an awareness campaign – in the Satara district resulted in significant reduction in child malnutrition, leading to 7-10 percent increase in the percentage of healthy children in the program, as well as a significant decline in the number of malnourished children, within a few months’ time. The pilot, initially undertaken in 14 villages, is now being scaled up to 121 villages in Satara, using the local government’s own resources.

Reduced teacher absenteeism:  In 2007, the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, launched a major reform aimed at making teachers more accountable for student learning progress.  All 5,000 primary and secondary schools in the state system have agreed on targets for controlling teacher absenteeism and improving their school's performance – and linking these to bonus payments. The reform has already been associated with a decline in teacher absenteeism from 13 percent in 2007 to 7 percent in 2008.  

Reduced child mortality:  According to a study published in 2008 in the prestigious Quarterly Journal of Economics, a Ugandan community-based monitoring project that provided 50 communities with  comparative information on child mortality in their village  relative to others  – and communicated  what health services they were entitled to – resulted, within one year, in a 33 percent reduction in child deaths.