Voice, Transparency and Accountability Chapter 3: Voice, Transparency and Accountability The successful pursuit and conduct of economic administration and policy making hinges on the degree of responsiveness of different levels of Government and Ministries / Departments to concerns of the citizenry with regards to the role of negative factors which are affecting their daily quality of life and economic prospects. In this respect, the Government must be‘open’ and in communication with elected representatives, both in the ruling party and in the opposition, and with civil society. The issue of accountability is also related to the proper conduct of Government functions. Corruption can bias decisions and lead to misallocation of public resources and to the sacrifice of the larger public interest. Therefore, perceptions of corruption are also important not only in determining the confidence of the people in their Government but also in the motivation of foreign investors to invest in a particular country. This Chapter is in two parts. The first part focuses more broadly on issues of voice transparency and accountability. The second part focuses more narrowly on the right to information and the type of improvements that could be implemented in the public budgetary process. Each part has its own set of recommendations. 3.1. Transparency and Accountability Two international rankings indicate where Pakistan stands with respect to Voice, Transparency and Accountability. The first is the Voice and Accountability Index of the World Bank. The World Bank indicator focuses on perceptions of the extent to which a country’s citizens participate in selecting their government, as well as the freedom of expression, freedom of association and a free media. 29