“New collaboration aims to encourage the creation and distribution of more accurate data on government revenues as well as its analysis for policy.”
The International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) and the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) are happy to announce a memorandum of understanding that has been signed, that will see the two organisations enter into a new collaboration to encourage the creation and distribution of more accurate data on government revenues, as well as analysis for policy.
This collaboration is an important step towards promoting innovation in the creation and distribution of high quality data, and encouraging further use of ICTD’s Government Revenue Dataset (GRD) by researchers, economists, political scientists and others working to improve the quality of research and analyses available to policy-makers in developing countries.
The ICTD has for the last three years been involved in producing the Government Revenue Dataset (GRD), which was built by compiling, comparing and harmonizing numerous existing datasets from various sources – including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article IV reports. This work has resulted in the most complete and accurate cross-country government revenue dataset.
The ICTD has just recently completed a final update to the dataset, prior to handing it over to the UNU-WIDER, which will take over the hosting and updating of this dataset. This will form part of UNU’s 2014-18 work programme research and activities on taxation as well as other dimensions of fiscal policy in developing countries, with the aim of improving the quality and impact of policy.
Prof. Mick Moore, the ICTD CEO said, “we are delighted that WIDER has agreed to assume responsibility for this dataset. This is the right organisation to maintain and help make it more widely accessible.”
The UNU-WIDER is also currently undertaking research on a wide range of taxation, revenue and development issues, and will organise a symposium as part of the UNU-WIDER ‘Macro-Economic Management’ project. The Symposium on Taxation and Revenue Mobilisation in Developing Countries aims to bring together researchers interested in employing ICTD’s GRD. The deadline for application is 15 September 2015, and female and developing country participants are particularly encouraged to apply. See the call for Proposals.