What the World Bank's Open Access Policy Means for Development - Liveblog & webcast

Monday, May 21, 2012

What is Open Access and why is the Bank's new Open Access policy so significant for development?

Open Access & Open Knowledge RepositoryThe World Bank will be adopting an Open Access Policy as of July 1, which will make World Bank research freely available online without charge or restrictions, making a wealth of knowledge available to anyone in the world.  To underpin this new Open Access policy, the World Bank recently launched the World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) as its new home for all of the Bank’s research outputs. In addition, to facilitate use of online content, the Bank became the first major international organization to adopt a set of copyright licenses from Creative Commons that will allow anyone to use, re-use, and distribute Bank research and knowledge products free of charge as long as the Bank is attributed.

What makes these moves so significant? How can open access contribute to the goal of eliminating poverty? How does it impact Bank’s researchers and authors? How will the OKR benefit users of Bank knowledge, in particular those in developing countries?

The panel, moderated by World Bank Publisher Carlos Rossel, will answer these questions and address the challenges, successes, pitfalls and benefits other institutions experienced when they made similar game-changing decisions.

Featuring:

Peter Suber | Director of the Harvard Open Access Project and a leading voice in the open access movement
Michael Carroll | American University law professor and founding board member of Creative Commons
Cyril Muller | Vice President for External Affairs at the World Bank
Adam Wagstaff | Research Manager of the World Bank's Development Research Group.

Replay the event and liveblog below.


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Read what others are asking
Apart from poverty reduction, it is strongly requested that suggestions for
REDUCTION OF RICH POOR GAP
(which is increasing and causing social unrest ) should be asked .
B S Sharma
India
how can this development policy affect them at the grassroot of under-developing countries?
kolawole foluso
Nigeria
How can citizens of the world take advantage of this new policy of the World Bank and use it to perform sustainable, constructive, and developmental projects for all?
Hal Zhao
United States
How can we benefit from open access policy
Adeleke Adekunle
Nigeria
we thank thee of the lord of the food in the business of the name of the all business of the God.

we thank the World Bank of the Business of the God office in thee .

What is the food of the Business of the African.
EMMANUEL K. KPEMLI
Ghana
What about open access to projects being prepared? Can citizens speak before projects are approved? Open data on contracts and contractors (including owners/shareholders) amounts, deliverables, compliance, performance and final results? How does WB ensure that funds don’t go to the same groups?
Ip Factor
Suriname
Is this policy of "Open Access" Synonymous with a change from dictatorship to democracy?
Supo Adedokun
Nigeria
Some students are very skeptical of the World bank's data. Countries may have incentives to be less than honest in their reporting. What steps are taken to ensure reliability?
Brett Cloyd
United States
Others will be attending with me.
Kay Vyhnanek
United States
Why it took a long time for World Bank took a decision to make its research open access? What is the message/advice to the Institutions funded/Financed by it on Open Access?
Sridhar Gutam
India
Will the webcast on "What the Bank's Open Access Policy Means for Development" be archived and available after May 21? As it's a national holiday in Canada, and I'll be spending time with my family, I don't anticipate being able to join in when it is broadcast ...
Vince Gray
Canada
Great move. Open Access Policy will bring more transparency, and it will open the knowledge bank for billions. Now, my question is, "Do you think it will also increase the expectations from world bank, for being transperant at every of its steps?"
Dr. Ashish Manohar Urkude
India
This is an excellent initiative by the Bank. But what else might the Bank do to help developing country researchers develop their own, local Open Access initiatives?
Alistair Scott
Afghanistan
Does the policy include software products to be openly accessible to users in developing countries?
Bantie Workie
Ethiopia
I wish this policy could minimise the richer getting richer and poorer getting poor everytime.Strike a balance of fairness.
Martin.Kukuso
Papua New Guinea
In addition to outputs do you intend to make processes transparent please? Thank u.
Tim
Afghanistan