Transparency: a most powerful instrument for development
Regional, Analysis, 5/17/2003

The principal of transparency should be one of the highest guiding forms of directing forces to address problems of development.

Therefore, when there is a problem or an issue at hand that needs to be addressed, the very first question that should be asked is: How can we solve this problem through transparency?

To move from the abstract to practical understanding. Let us take the following as an example. Egypt has a serious problems of unemployment. Specifically, in addition, university graduates cannot find jobs, or jobs in their area of specialty. When we look at the magnitude of this problem and its cost to the economy and thus the people's welfare, the cost is enormous. There are cost in wasted education investment, in time, to businesses, and to the economy overall, in addition to added social and political costs due to tension that unemployment and underemployment cost.

So when you have many lawyers being graduated and cannot find jobs, and have to work as taxi drivers, then clearly, this is an enormous waste of economic resources that are being misallocated.

So how do we deal with this issue? Create another government funded public works project? Employ these individuals as government employees? Give them funds to create small businesses? Subsidize their employment in the private sector? All these are some typical questions that are asked by bureaucrats and lawmakers when they are trying to address the problems. But this is the wrong way to address this problem.

Using transparency as the guiding principles, we can start by looking at how we can use "information" to address the problem. For example: we can by making sure that every single high school student and parent have access to information about the immediate, mid and long term job market -- its salaries and growth potential. In other words, how many jobs are out there or will be there, and what these jobs will pay in salary. Various research into the related fields, etc. By doing so, High School students and their parents, and without coercion from anyone, will be able to make informed decisions about how to invest their education, so they can study the proper fields that will bring them the income they desire. This is how the economy will be able to allocate its limited resources properly, and how the government can address a very serious solution at extremely negligible costs, maximize efficiency, and preserve freedom of choice.

This extremely simple act, providing the information, will set in course changes so fundamental, as to be able to align the economy's requirements for jobs with that of the educational field, thus saving the economy enormous inefficiencies, and enormous wasted investment resources that become appropriately channeled to produce maximum return on investment.

These kinds of simple and creative acts, extremely inexpensive, should be the very first course in addressing problems, and should be given enough time to come into play, before any additional measure are taken.

Clearly this example then brings into light the foundation of the Transparency Principle. It is making available, to the maximum extent possible, information, and in turn, insuring that the information, is of the highest quality.

By,
Jamil Kazoun

Previous Stories:
  Transparency: foundation for proper government   (5/17/2003)
  Transparency: foundation for proper economy   (5/17/2003)
  The practice of lending to developing and underdeveloped governments should end   (5/25/2002)
  The foundation of good development: rule of law and transparancy   (9/16/1999)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search