The Beta version of the Land Matrix (http://landportal.info/landmatrix) was launched in April 2012 as a tool to promote public participation in building a constantly evolving database on largescale land deals, and making the data visible and understandable. The aim of the Land Matrix partnership is to promote transparency and open data in decision-making over land and investment, as a step towards greater accountability. Since its launch, the Land Matrix has attracted a high degree of attention, and stirred some controversy. It provides valuable lessons on the challenges and benefits of promoting open data on practices that are often shrouded in secrecy. This paper critically examines the ongoing efforts by the Land Matrix partnership to build a public tool to promote greater transparency in decision-making over land and investment at a global level. It intends to provoke discussion of the extent to which such a tool can ultimately promote greater transparency and be a step towards greater accountability and improved decision-making. It will present the Land Matrix and its value addition, before detailing the challenges it encountered related to the measurement of the large-scale land acquisition phenomenon. It will then specify how it intends to address these issues in order to establish a dynamic and participatory tool for open development.The Land Matrix (LM) is a global, independent initiative for monitoring land deals. It is facilitated by a partnership of organizations 1 concerned by decision-making over largescale land deals, their implications for communities and the environment, and the fact that many directly affected stakeholders are currently excluded from such decisionmaking. The LM provides tools for widening citizen involvement in making data available and understandable, thus promoting transparency and accountability. It is ultimately an effort in improved decision-making over land resources and their use.
Drawing on Northern European experiencewhere quickly, but tends to preserve the cultures and identities three Scandinavian countries Iaave practiced integrated of the predecessor agencies more than is oytimal. supervision for the past 10 years -Taylor and Fleming Whatever the structure, integrated supervisioon requires address three policy-related issues associated with the active management to secure the potential benefits that integrated model: the approach offers. * Under what conditions should (or should not) a * How should the integration process be country consider moving toward an integrated model of implemented? financial supervision?While the decision to move to an integratecd agency Clearly, for a small transition or developing econormy, must be carefully thought through in the context of the or an economy with a small financial sector, the country concerned, the more difficult part is economies of scale from establishing an integrated implementation, which must be sensitively anonaged. agency outweigh the costs of mnoving to such a model. AOnce the decision has been made, implementation strong case can also be made for an integrated approach should take place as quickly as possible. A vwell-conceived in a financial sector dominated by banks, with little role "change management" process should aim t-overcome for capital markets or a highly integrated financial sector.the cultural barriers associated with the previous * How shoulcl an integrated agency be structured, fragmented structure. organized, and managed?Taylor and Fleming's review of Northern European There is no single obviously correct organizational experience with integration of financial supervision raises structure, and existing agencies are experimenting with a a range of questions relevant to developing and variety of forms. An institutionally based structure has transition economies, which they discuss. the virtue of simplicity and can be implemented fairly This papera product of the IPrivate and Financial Sectors Development Unit, Europe and Central Asia Rejionis pa:t of a larger effort in the region to assist transition economies in strengthening the legal and regulatory frame';
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