Acknowledgments
This volume would have not been possible without the tireless work and generous support of numerous people. The materials, case studies, and data presented in the study are the result of our team’s work with local communities and governments on the ground as well as the research carried out in offices around the world. We are very appreciative of all our colleagues from many partner organizations and the World Bank Group who have worked with us over the last four years on the Open Development Technology Alliance—a program that aims to enhance accountability and improve the delivery and quality of public services through technology-enabled citizen engagement. Most of all, we would like to thank the protagonists of this study: the citizens, community leaders, government officials, civil society representatives, and social entrepreneurs from the different countries and communities we have worked with. Given that the case studies and findings presented in this volume cover a broad set of countries and communities, the below list is just indicative of the communities with which we had the most interaction. We give a special thanks to the people from Bolivia, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia for their openness and trust to share with us and our coauthors their experiences. They have given us the unique opportunity to derive insights from their daily lives, their multiple challenges, and their aspirations for a better life. We are grateful to our highly motivated, passionate, and extremely hardworking coauthors who were always willing to go the extra mile to get this volume finalized. We give a special thanks to Nicole Anand, Saher Asad, Maja Bott, Samantha Custer, Elizabeth Dodds, Elena Gagieva-Petrova, Shirin Madon, Kyung-Ryul Park, Jennifer Shkabatur, Renee Wittemyer, and Gregor Young. Many colleagues from academia, civil society organizations, other donor agencies, and the World Bank Group have dedicated their precious time to provide advice, guidance, and suggestions on earlier drafts. Much is owed to Robert Hunja, Marie Sheppard, and Aleem Walji’s support and continuous encouragement to carry on with our project until its completion. We are very grateful to Sanjay Pradhan and Randi Ryterman for their intellectual leadership and unwavering commitment to our project. Their professional commitment to and passion about enhancing the lives of the poorest and most marginalized Closing the Feedback Loop • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0191-4
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