Economists and international institutions (World Bank, IMF, OECD) recognize infrastructure as the cornerstone to achieve social equality and economic prosperity; which in turn are central for a stable and long-lasting peace in Colombia. Past experiences have shown that a significant amount of resources directed towards infrastructure development are poorly invested or lost due to lack of information and poor strategic planning; This, in addition to the misuse of resources due to, for example, corruption and deficient state control mechanisms. Research around the world and at Los Andes University has shown that information that contributes to understanding infrastructure in context makes a difference in the efficient assignment of resources at the post-conflict stage. Developing infrastructure in context includes i) understanding both the physical and socioeconomic environment; ii) selecting the appropriate technology; iii) follow up both the construction and operation of projects; and iv) monitor the impact of those projects in time. Then, this project aims at constructing a comprehensive and high quality database that support investment decisions, monitor the evolution of those investments, and measure their impact. Furthermore, this database will be freely available to he public.
The objectives of this project include:
The tool will be built on the principles of transparency and emphasizing the public right to access information. Information collected and processed will be available freely.
Within this context, the project will have an important impact in Colombia by providing free access to information about the investments and development of infrastructure related to the implementation
The main impacts of the project can be summarized as follows: