Theo Dolan's blog

During a working group session as part of the “Access to Information, Media and Accountability” workshop in Dar es Salaam in March, I wondered just how difficult it would be to shift the discussion from advocacy in support of the access to information (ATI) and media services draft laws to key aspects of how to implement these laws. It is no revelation that implementation of access to information legislation is quite challenging, as two other African countries with ATI laws, South Africa and Uganda, have already discovered. But what the workshop in Tanzania (supported by CommGAP) also showed is that even if an access to information law is enacted, people have to be informed enough to use it.

In a previous post, Shanthi outlines the difficulties in measuring the impact of media development efforts. While accurately pointing to the challenges in gauging success or failure of such initiatives, other factors -- such as laws that make up the “enabling environment” in which media operate – also influence our ability to judge impact. In the short-term, perhaps my recent work with the World Bank Institute (WBI) does not offer clear solutions.