PRB Statement on Public Data as a Public Good for the Common Good
The story of progress begins with public data.
Public data touches nearly every aspect of our lives. It tells the story of who we are, what we need, and where we’re going. This data matters and it belongs to all of us.
It includes information like how many children are enrolled in school, how far families travel to reach a hospital, and where new jobs are emerging. Although we don’t always see it, public data quietly shapes the world around us. It guides how governments allocate resources and how people hold power to account.
When public data is accurate and accessible, it drives national progress, upholds individual rights, and strengthens the promise of shared prosperity.
But today, that promise is imperiled. Here in the United States, key datasets have quietly disappeared from government websites. Longstanding statistical programs have been defunded or deprioritized. These are signs of a deeper erosion of the systems that safeguard transparency, citizen participation, and inclusive growth.
At PRB, we are committed to ensuring that public data remains a public good that serves the common good. That means fostering open, inclusive data systems, building and sustaining communities of data users, and working in partnership with the people whose health and well-being depend on our collective ability to make informed decisions.
Behind every number is a person. And when we protect public data, we protect their dignity, voice, and future.
Jennifer D. Sciubba
President and CEO
Population Reference Bureau
About PRB
PRB promotes and supports evidence-based policies, practices and decision-making to improve the health and well-being of people throughout the world. Find out more at prb.org. Follow us @PRBdata.
For more on this topic, consider the following resources:
- Rose Maruru, « De l’engagement à la pratique : Comment la localisation se fait-elle localement ? », EPIC-Africa. Also available in English: “From Commitment to Practice: How is Localisation Doing Locally?”, Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, Aug. 16, 2023. (Rose Maruru is the founder of the Dakar-based EPIC-Africa, which seeks to enhance philanthropic impact by filling critical data and capacity gaps in the philanthropic market infrastructure in Africa.)
- Adama Coulibaly, « Décoder les mots-clés du développement : Comprendre la signification de la localisation et de la décolonisation, » EPIC-Africa. Also available in English: “Decoding Development Buzzwords: Understanding the Meaning of Localization and Decolonization.” (Adama Coulibaly is Global Programs Director, Oxfam International.)
- Abdoul Karim Saidou, « La participation citoyenne dans les politiques publiques de sécurité en Afrique : analyse comparative des exemples du Burkina Faso et du Niger, » International Development Policy | Revue internationale de politique de développement 11, no. 1 (2019). Also available in English: “Citizen participation in public security policies in Africa: a comparative analysis of the examples of Burkina Faso and Niger.”
- World Bank, Engaging Citizens for Better Development Results (Independent Evaluation Group, Washington, DC: World Bank, 2018).
- Michel Maietta, “Shifting the Power: A Few Hard Truths on Localisation,” Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network.
- Coopération Canada, Le transfert de pouvoir au sein de la coopération internationale : Etablir des liens (2023). Also available in English: Cooperation Canada Shifting Power in International Cooperation.
- Dylan Mathews, “Localization, Decolonizing and #ShiftThePower: Are We Saying the Same Thing?” June 14, 2022.
- Localisation and Decolonisation: the difference that makes the difference, Peace Direct (2022).
- Beyond the buzzwords: how can we fix localisation to shift power in humanitarian aid? September 3, 2024, Dr Hamid Foroughi, Dr Paul R Kelly
- Andrea Cornwall, Karen Brock – Beyond Buzzwords: “Poverty Reduction”, “Participation” and “Empowerment” UNRISD Nov 2005
- Localization at USAID: the vision and approach, August 2022.
- TIME Initiative: Landscape Analysis (2023).
- Dr. Allysha C. Maragh-Bass, Dr. Tamar Chitashvili – Language Matters: Core Concepts in Equity-Based Reform in Global Development.
- Moses Isooba, How Use of Language Can Breathe Life into Localization, July 2024. Moses Isooba is head of the Uganda National NGO Forum and a member of Re-Imagining the International NGO (RINGO).
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