ICTworks

Calls for more inclusive development activity, aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and an increasingly complex set of development actors spur the data revolution and a demand for better, more targeted decision- making.

Increasingly, subnational governments – that account for almost 40% of worldwide public spending – are responsible for achieving the SDGs’ “leave no one behind” mandate, and for executing government programming and expenditure. In addition, by 2030, 90% of jobs will require some level of data skills in order to access the opportunities of the global digital economy.

Within this context, a number of agencies and partners are working to increase the use of data in decision-making, and to strengthen subnational government capacities. The Data Collaboratives for Local Impact (DCLI) program is the result of a partnership funded by PEPFAR and implemented by MCC.

Principles for Subnational Data Use

Through informal consultations and its own programming, the DCLI program has been gathering case studies to document drivers and the value of subnational data programming. Based on these case studies and DCLI learnings, an initial set of Principles for Subnational Data Use use has been developed.

1. Listen, document, share

Funders should engage with communities to shape development investments. Central to this approach is beginning with listening and gathering data on community needs.

2. Measure at community scale

We must continue experimenting with creative ways to measure the impact of subnational data use. Quantifiable data are cornerstones of program design and accountability, yet traditional tools are inadequate for measuring the impact of subnational data programs.

3. Build local skills

Data transparency efforts should be paired with interventions that increase awareness of the value of data, and with skills needed to transform data into useful information.

4. Bridge levels

Data use investments should foster feedback loops and bi-directional information flows between local priorities and national-level decisions.

5. Be intentionally inclusive

Social inclusion and gender sensitivity are critical to achieving development progress. Sensitivity means more than generating disaggregated data: it also means equipping youth, women, and other underrepresented communities with the skills, incentives, and support to use that data.

6. Fund local organizations

Investing in and working through local institutions should be the default practice. Programs benefit from local know-how, and local organizations gain additional capacity through involvement with international partners and funders – thereby optimizing development impact.

A synopsis of Principles for Subnational Data Use by Development Gateway