However, there are major gaps in access to relevant information, especially in rural areas, where nearly 68 percent of the world’s poor live. Likewise, citizens need information about politicians’ mandates and performance, if electoral incentives are to work. Given these information gaps, political leaders often overlook the needs of rural citizens — especially those who are uneducated and politically disengaged. Despite relatively high levels of system uptake and enthusiasm among district officials, the program failed to bring about durable improvements in service delivery. Most of the information users provided was too vague to be actionable, and they were often discouraged by officials’ responses.

Source: Taipei Times December 21, 2019 16:07 UTC