Assessing Parliament of Zimbabwe’s informatics database as a tool for providing evidence-based information for decision making

Abstract

The application of information and communication technologies to parliamentary activities is growing. Informatics databases represent a growing trend used for gathering, collation, processing, storage and dissemination of parliamentary information to Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff and the general public. Many parliaments are moving forward, assisted by development partners to implement informatics projects from constituency level where the public can access information manually or electronically through parliament itself. The purpose of this article was to assess Parliament of Zimbabwe’s informatics database in providing evidence-based information for decision making. This is achieved by sampling 25 Members of Parliament and 25 Office Assistants from constituencies, and Parliament staff as important respondents. The instruments of data collection were questionnaires, interview schedules and analysis of documents. Findings revealed that constituents were the largest beneficiaries, followed by the education sector, and Members of Parliament. Data also showed that Members of Parliament improved their knowledge and participation in parliamentary activities based on real facts from the informatics data base. The study identified challenges affecting the informatics database. Results recommend that resources be provided for information and communication technology equipment, staff should be trained and an online informatics database be implemented.