Pakistan, like other developing economies of South Asia; grapples with the persistent challenge of corruption and misgovernance, which is deeply rooted in its social and governmental fabric. The Corruption Perception Index report by Transparency International highlights the pervasiveness of corruption across all levels of society and government in Pakistan, that has plagued country’s economy with serious challenges, including surging inflation, escalating commodity prices, and notable declines in foreign reserves and investment. The report paints a bleak picture of its struggling economy, underscoring the pressing need for innovative approaches to address these critical challenges.

In the face of these daunting challenges, technology emerges as a powerful tool that can play a transformative role in combating corruption. This article explores, how Accountability Lab through its Integrity Innovation Lab initiative is harnessing technological solutions in a collaborative and inclusive manner to foster transparent governance and counter the systemic nature of corruption across the public and private sectors in the country.

Hackcorruption brings together the gov tech solutioners to rethink what governance and anticorruption efforts look like, collaborate to innovate, and design feasible and workable solutions to combat corruption and improve accountability and transparency in the public sector.

Hackcorruption – a hackathon under Accountability Lab’s Integrity Innovation Lab initiative – is organization’s response to the above situation to prevent, deter, and combat corruption and improve governance, by forging partnerships across the public, private and civil society sectors. By harnessing the power of technology, Hack Corruption seeks to bridge accountability gaps, cultivate integrity and offer innovative solutions to systemic corruption challenges.

Globally, in efforts to fight corruption, technology has emerged as a powerful tool, offering new avenues to enhance transparency, accountability, efficiency, and accessibility. With the advent of groundbreaking technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), civic tech tools, and big data; governments, businesses, and other stakeholders can now revolutionize their approaches to combat corruption. These technologies have the potential to transform transaction tracking, citizen engagement and accessibility, and decision-making processes. While corruption remains a persistent challenge in many developing countries including Pakistan; innovative initiatives like Hackcorruption – by supporting the change makers to develop technological solutions, collaborate with government and communities – demonstrate the transformative potential of technology in fighting corruption.

Knowledge: Through this initiative, the Accountability Lab engages the public specially youth, to identify the challenges and operationalize novel, responsible, impactful, and sustainable technological solutions. Hackathon invites young and innovative software engineers and developers; public sector and civil society practitioners to propose and prototype technological solutions to specific corruption and governance challenges. Hack corruption Hackathons provide the opportunity to the participants to contribute their expertise, insights, and experiences, which are invaluable in shaping the development of effective technological solutions. By leveraging the collective knowledge, Lab ensures that the technological solutions developed under this initiative are tailored to the specific needs and contexts of the communities they aim to serve.

Moreover, the learning events organized under this initiative, serve as a platform for capacity building and skill enhancement. Participants gain valuable insights into the latest technological advancements, innovative approaches, and global best practices in the field of anti-corruption and good governance. These events facilitate the exchange of knowledge, allowing stakeholders to stay updated on emerging trends and learn from successful case studies. The integration of learnings back into the design process is a key aspect of the Lab’s approach. The insights gained from these learning events inform the iterative design and refinement of technological solutions. By actively incorporating feedback and lessons learned, the Lab ensures that its initiatives are responsive, user-centric, and aligned with the evolving needs of stakeholders.

Technology and specially the access to internet has contributed tremendously in economic development, strengthened voices and increased access to fundamental rights of vulnerable communities specially women.

The Lab also recognizes the importance of ongoing learning and knowledge sharing beyond the confines of these events. It actively encourages continuous collaboration and communication among stakeholders, fostering a community of practice that sustains the momentum generated during the events. This collaborative network facilitates ongoing learning, idea exchange, and collective problem-solving, allowing stakeholders to stay informed, connected, and empowered in their efforts to combat corruption and governance issues.

Innovation: In April 2023, hackathon brought together 50 young innovators, technology enthusiasts, government and civil society practitioners from Pakistan Bangladesh, Srilanka, India and Nepal for mutual learning; exchange of knowledge, vision and technology; and collaboration beyond borders. These innovators presented their creative ideas and technological solutions in a Hackathon event arranged by Accountability Lab in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Technology allows monitoring and analysis large amount of data like public procurement and beneficial ownership and can be used to identify the mismanagement and corruption.

Ifaza Waheed, a member of the team from Pakistan shared that their initiative – PAK Zameen – aims to digitize land records in Pakistan and will combat corruption by eradicating manipulation, duplication, and mutability of land records. Using blockchain to decentralize records and decrease corruption, PAK Zameen will simply land purchases and boost tax revenue by expanding the registered property tax base. Like Ifaza and members of her team; 50 tech and governance solutioners participated in hackathon from across the region and presented their innovative solutions on following themes:

Budget and Ownership Transparency – Ideas that lead to greater budget transparency for government agencies and beneficial ownership transparency in the private sector.

Open Contracting & Transparency of Public Procurement – solutions to reduce corruption & fraud in the public contracting process by increasing transparency and ensuring proper delivery of essential public goods and services to citizens.

Digital Citizenship to Constrain Corruption – solutions that increase civic participation to collectively solve problems, such as protecting digital civic space, enabling safe whistleblowing, or monitoring and ensuring the proper delivery of government goods and services.

 Collaboration and Inclusion: The integration of stakeholders, including civil society organizations (CSOs), small businesses, academia, and the community, is of paramount importance in continuously innovating and developing technological tools to combat corruption and improve governance. The collaborative efforts and diverse expertise of these stakeholders play a crucial role in addressing the complex challenges associated with corruption and governance.

The partner CSOs bring a deep understanding of the issues faced by marginalized communities and provide valuable insights into the specific contexts in which corruption thrives. Their active participation ensures that technological solutions are inclusive, responsive, and tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable populations. Small businesses, on the other hand, offer unique perspectives and firsthand experiences of corruption in the private sector. Their input is invaluable in designing solutions that address corruption risks and promote ethical business practices. Academia plays a crucial role in advancing research and knowledge in the field of anti-corruption. By collaborating with academia, the initiative leverages the intellectual capital and research capabilities of universities and research institutions. These partnerships facilitate the integration of cutting-edge research findings and innovative ideas into the development of technological tools. Academia’s involvement ensures that the solutions are evidence-based, grounded in best practices, and have the potential to generate long-term impact. The participatory approach fosters ownership, trust, and sustainability in the fight against corruption.

On one end the technology has improved the access, connectivity and response of the communities, the social media on the other hand, has also amplified the general social behaviors and associated risks, as we see increase in hate speech, patriarchal patterns, harassment on social media.

Continuous innovation and development of technological tools are essential to effectively combat corruption and improve governance in developing countries. However, this can only be achieved through the integration of stakeholders representing various sectors and perspectives. The collaboration of CSOs, small businesses, academia, and the community enables a holistic approach that addresses the multifaceted nature of corruption.

With inclusive approach, collective knowledge and collaboration, the Hackcorruption has the potential to reshape the anti-corruption landscape, foster transparency, and build systems that promote accountability and integrity.

* Asif Farooqui is associated with Accountability Lab as Deputy Director Programs and has been working closely for past few years on various initiatives to strengthen institutional capacity of public sector institutions and improve the public service delivery through innovation and human resource development.