Guide to Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes

This publication was developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) based on the belief that "the right to information is fundamental in bolstering democratic principles of openness, transparency and accountability in societies and in eradicating poverty and is therefore a programming priority..." This Guide complements a previous publication, 'Practical Guidance Note on Right to Information,' which provided guidance on approaches for designing and implementing programmes in this area. The 'Guide to Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes' aims to build on this knowledge, and focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of those programmes, paying particular attention to the use of appropriate indicators, including gender and pro-economically poor indicators.

The Guide outlines the basic principles of programme evaluation, focusing on assessing outcomes. It outlines four broad areas of right to information that must be considered in any context for evaluation. These are:

1. the legal regime for the right to information;
2. the implementation of right to information legislation by government;
3. the use of right to information by the general public and civil society; and
4. the use of right to information by marginalised groups.

It then suggests questions for each area, and derives from these typical baseline assessment features, outputs and outcomes. The aim of the Guide is to help UNDP Country Offices to select country-specific and appropriate indicators in order to assess right to information focused interventions.