When we know we’re seen: How transparency nudges outcomes at the World Bank Group

Jorge Luis Borges once imagined an infinite library, a space housing every book ever written and every book that could ever be written. A man wanders through this library in search of truth, only to increasingly lose his way. Until one day, he discovers a cracked mirror behind a forgotten shelf and ultimately finds himself. He realizes that true insight emerges from self-reflection.

Much like this story, the mirror of transparency enables development institutions to discover not merely data, but also direction toward accountability and introspection. That’s why transparency is central to all of the World Bank Group’s work.

This week, these efforts were recognized as the World Bank was ranked at the top of the 2025 DFI Transparency Index by Publish What You Fund, an independent watchdog of development finance disclosure. We are not just leaders in lending; we also excel in transparency, having received a perfect 30/30 in Impact Management.

However, this recognition reflects a broader transformation in our approach to development itself.

Transparency shapes choices

A significant innovation driving our enhanced transparency is the World Bank’s new Corporate Scorecard, a platform designed not just for reporting what we do, but for changing how we do it.

The Scorecard provides granular, real-time results, from targets and baselines to actual outcomes, across countries, themes, and institutions. It opens our impact logic to the world, enabling partners to see, question, and replicate what works. More importantly, it represents a shift toward greater transparency and shared accountability.

This transformation has been catalyzed by the reform agenda championed by the leadership of the World Bank Group, whose vision of a more agile, responsive, and accountable institution has placed transparency at the heart of operational excellence and made it a design principle.

In behavioral economics, this is termed “choice architecture,” the subtle framework through which decisions are made. By making performance data publicly accessible, we trigger the “Outcome Reflex,” a behavioral response prompting individuals to instinctively align their choices with what they know will be visible, judged, and compared.

Transparency, therefore, transcends data collection. It serves as a lever for behavioral change.

How transparency transforms us

Institutions are influenced not just by incentives alone, but also by other factors that transparency activates:

1. Identity: We assert our commitment to truth over perfection.
2. Norms: What gets shared helps set a benchmark for others to follow. 
3. Visibility: When results are public, behaviors overshadow intentions. Colleagues adjust. Managers ask different questions. Citizens take notice.

In essence, what is visible becomes valued. Transparency acts as a nudge that, when embedded systemically, becomes a powerful push.

Beyond internal changes, transparency also empowers agency outside of institutions, enabling communities, clients, and co-financiers to engage with data, challenge assumptions, and shape priorities.

On the ground, this translates into sharing impact frameworks before financing decisions, providing baseline data before implementation, and ensuring community disclosures are accessible and trustworthy. It is about surfacing “what works, for whom, and under what conditions” not merely as an academic exercise, but as a principle guiding frontline practices.

The road ahead

Our top ranking in the Transparency Index reflects significant progress, but complacency is not an option. 

We are embedding transparency into the very fabric of how we work—not only in sovereign portfolios, but increasingly in mobilizing private capital, tracking climate finance, and engaging communities. These changes are integral to our aim of making the World Bank Group a “Better Bank,” one that is more accountable, more data-driven, and more trusted by the clients and communities we serve.

Nonetheless, gaps remain. As the Index rightly notes, granular climate finance disclosure represents the next frontier. We are leaning in and doing more.  We have committed to releasing climate finance data at the project component level for all projects approved after April 1 2025.  Granular data on 30 projects is already public with more to come. 

In an era of immense development challenges and significant financing gaps, trust is our most valuable currency. Transparency is also essential for restoring trust in institutions.

To mobilize capital, build markets, and empower communities, we must be willing to open our books, expose our logic, and share our story—not just of our inputs, but of our impacts.

Ultimately, transparency is not just a principle. It is a vital approach for achieving sustainable impact.