Publish What You Fund
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Publish What You Fund Publish What You Fund is an international advocacy coalition promoting transparency in international aid and development financing. Founded by civil society organizations, philanthropic foundations, and advocacy networks, it seeks to improve accountability and effectiveness in assistance flows across bilateral donors, multilateral institutions, and private philanthropies. The campaign operates through research, public campaigns, and engagement with policy processes to influence standards at institutions such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
Background and history
Publish What You Fund emerged from a lineage of transparency and accountability movements linked to campaigns around the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Publish What You Pay coalition, and the broader open data movement exemplified by Open Government Partnership and International Aid Transparency Initiative. Key moments in its formation include convenings influenced by advocacy from organizations such as Oxfam International, Transparency International, and ActionAid, and policy dialogues held at forums like the G8 Summit and meetings of the Development Assistance Committee. Early supporters included philanthropic actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and foundations linked to Ford Foundation-type philanthropy, aligning with reforms championed by figures associated with United Nations Development Programme processes and donor coordination bodies such as the European Commission.
Mission and objectives
The coalition’s stated mission centers on increasing the transparency and accessibility of aid information to enable better accountability by recipient communities, parliaments, and watchdog organizations. Objectives reflect alignment with international norms promoted by institutions including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank to strengthen reporting standards, harmonize datasets with initiatives linked to Data for Development efforts, and support parliamentary oversight exemplified by legislatures like the United Kingdom Parliament and the European Parliament. It also pursues objectives consonant with global compacts such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and associated Sustainable Development Goals.
Activities and initiatives
Publish What You Fund conducts research, ranks donors, and publishes scorecards modeled on methodologies used by organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for comparative advocacy. It organizes campaigns compatible with transparency frameworks such as the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), engages in policy advocacy at multilateral venues including the United Nations General Assembly and the G20, and works with auditing entities akin to the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions. Activities include capacity building with recipient-country partners, collaboration with media outlets like BBC and The Guardian for investigative reporting, and partnership with data platforms inspired by Open Knowledge Foundation projects. The coalition also convenes stakeholders at conferences similar to World Humanitarian Summit and regional consultations with institutions such as the African Union and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Impact and assessments
Assessments of Publish What You Fund’s influence reference measurable shifts in donor disclosure policies and the expansion of IATI adoption among actors including bilateral donors like United States Agency for International Development, multilateral lenders like the European Investment Bank, and private donors modeled on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation practices. Independent evaluations by think tanks comparable to Chatham House, Brookings Institution, and Center for Global Development have noted contributions to normative change, increased civil society access to data, and improved parliamentary scrutiny in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Impact narratives link to policy outcomes in forums like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee and transparency provisions adopted in international agreements resembling those negotiated at Paris Climate Conference-type summits.
Governance and funding
The coalition is governed by a steering structure involving member organizations similar to coalitions led by Save the Children, Care International, and World Vision. Its funding model historically draws on grants from philanthropic foundations such as the Open Society Foundations, bilateral development agencies resembling Department for International Development (UK), and project-based support from institutional partners including the European Commission and multilateral development banks like the World Bank Group. Governance arrangements emphasize board oversight, participation by Southern civil society networks akin to African Civil Society Network organizations, and engagement with independent auditors comparable to those employed by large NGOs and institutions like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Criticism and controversies
Critiques of Publish What You Fund echo broader debates about aid transparency raised in forums such as the Bretton Woods Conference-legacy discussions and critiques leveled by scholars associated with London School of Economics, Harvard Kennedy School, and SOAS University of London. Critics argue that ranking methodologies can privilege donors with greater technical capacities—invoking comparisons to assessments by Transparency International—and may understate contextual constraints faced by smaller agencies or foundations modeled on Rockefeller Foundation-style philanthropy. Contentions have arisen over the balance between open data imperatives and operational security concerns flagged in humanitarian contexts like Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan, echoing debates within the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Related campaigns and partnerships
Publish What You Fund is connected with a network of allied campaigns and institutions including Publish What You Pay, the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), the Open Government Partnership, and regional transparency coalitions linked to bodies such as the African Union, the Asia-Pacific Transparency Network, and civil society hubs similar to CONCORD. Strategic partnerships involve collaboration with academic centers like Oxford Internet Institute, policy institutes such as Institute of Development Studies, and media partners resembling Al Jazeera and Reuters for dissemination and investigative work.