Inform and Empower to Improve Public Services

In rich countries we take it for granted that when we turn the tap clean water comes out, when our children go to school there will be a teacher present, and when we have health problems the medical provider will be attentive. Quality public services – clean water, health, and education – are vital for human welfare and a strong economy. But in many countries in the developing world, essential public services are failing, especially for the poorest members of society. Conventional approaches to tackling this challenge have focused on tracking money spent rather than results achieved. Accountability to citizens and communities has largely been absent.

While there are no quick fixes, Google.org believes that providing meaningful, easily accessible information to citizens and communities, service providers, and policymakers is a key part of creating home-grown solutions to improve the quality of public services. Better information can help governments and other providers spend scarce resources wisely. And, empowered by information, citizens and communities can demand better services from providers or develop new solutions to meet their own needs. 

We will work with public, private, and civil society partners to address each side of this problem. This initiative will begin with a focus on education, health, and water and sanitation services in East Africa and India. Our work will support efforts that lead to empowered citizens and communities, responsive providers, and informed decision-makers. Success will depend on the presence of strong and effective leadership.  We are committed to investing in the next generation of business, government, and civil society leaders to ensure the sustainability of this initiative. 

Empowered Citizens and Communities

Google.org supports efforts to generate accountability and "bottom up" citizen engagement to influence the quality of public services. We will support efforts to provide easily accessible information to people so that they can choose the best strategy for themselves and their community. We will use multiple modes of communication (such as media, mobile, e-kiosks and other technologies) to allow a broader range of people to access information and we will seek innovative methods for disseminating information. We're focused on:

  • Informing individuals and communities of their rights, entitlements, choices, and quality of public services
  • Providing tools and information to increase access to and use of available services
  • Supporting civil society organizations that strengthen links between communities and policy makers.

Responsive Providers

We will enhance public and private providers' abilities to respond to the challenges of service delivery and increased demand. Access to new tools and better information will increase providers' autonomy and flexibility, shifting away from "business as usual" approaches to public services. Top-down accountability has too often failed because it is difficult to know what happens on the ground in an information-scarce environment. We envision providers that are responsive to citizen needs and committed to improving performance. We're focused on:

  • Increasing transparency in local budgeting and performance for improved resource allocation
  • Improving data quality to inform planning
  • Expanding service delivery with innovative information-based tools

Informed Decision-Makers

We will work to enhance the quality and quantity of data and evidence available for policymaking. To "unlock" existing data that is not publicly available, we are seeking innovations in the way data can be accessed, entered, stored, analyzed and communicated. Google.org believes that the transparency that comes with more public information increases checks and balances between citizens and communities, and policymakers. We're focused on:

  • Developing local capacity for data collection and analysis to inform decision making
  • Making existing information more public and useful for planning and advocacy
  • Generating evidence on "what works" and sharing this widely

For a closer look, please read our initiative brief.  Also be sure to check out a special Gapcast on Public Services by Professor Hans Rosling.

Please note that we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time. See Google.org's Grants & Investments page for a list of current partners.
In Uganda, school textbooks and other materials weren't getting to students – less than 30 cents of every dollar in central government funds set aside for instructional materials reached schools. Local government inertia and mismanagement froze the rest – especially in the poorest school districts. Then the government began releasing data on monthly education spending to newspapers and radio stations. Schools were required to post notices on monthly transfers of funds received. While problems remain, today almost every dollar authorized for instructional materials in Uganda is actually used to buy books and improve the learning environment.




Video: Introduction to Google.org's new Inform and Empower initiative. Its goal is to use information to empower citizens and communities, providers, and policymakers to improve the delivery of essential public services such as education, health, water and sanitation.