Disclosure or Deception: Information Access in the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank
Author(s)
Guttal, Shalmali
Abstract
In the fairly successful move towards better access to information and increased freedom of speech around the world, national governments have been pressurized to reform their right to information policies and to legislate in this field. Multilateral institutions, however, have been less susceptible than governments to these pressures, although they have often congratulated themselves for making what they describe as substantial and positive changes. The paper looks at the policies of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), neither of which has a record of exemplary conduct in this area. The claim is often made that multilateral institutions are responsible solely to the governments that constitute their clientele, rather than to the general public; but it should be remembered that the ADB and the World Bank are public institutions. It is true that their financing base comes from capital subscriptions by member countries [and that] their financial credentials are guaranteed by governments, but it is taxpayers in the various member countries who foot the bill and therefore have the right to expect transparency from these institutions and full access to information about their decision-making processes.
