Reimagining how evidence drives change

Report by OneData: “Data is the lifeblood of the 21 st century economy: powering decisions, fueling economic growth, shaping algorithms, and spurring scientific innovation.
But vast inequalities have emerged, and not just in financial wealth. Access to data—and the ability to extract meaning from it—are deeply unequal. As is the frequency, quality, and availability of answers to basic questions in large parts of the world. Take the world’s public finance data, for instance. It is fragmented and often outdated, hard to find and use, and locked in formats and products that don’t reach the people who need them. As a result, the “last mile” from data to usable insight is weak, forcing decision-makers and advocates to frequently rely on partial evidence, outdated snapshots, or anecdotes.
A growing set of initiatives point to a different model, one that moves away from static reports toward a living evidence infrastructure, with shared data backbones, reusable analytical workflows, and applications designed around real policy tasks. This paper describes the problem and this emerging approach, and highlights ONE Data as one example of how organisations are attempting to reduce friction between credible evidence and day-to-day policy, media, and advocacy work…(More)”.