Understanding beneficial ownership data use
Methodology
This research aims to document a variety of user experiences and map the ways BO information is used. It considers which factors enable and hinder the use of information, and how users’ experiences can inform the design and implementation of effective BO policies and systems. The findings provide evidence to support user-centred BOT reforms.
Research questions
The research team explored five main questions:
- What are the different types of BO data users, and what are their main differences and commonalities?
- What does the information enable these users to accomplish?
- What factors enable or hinder their effective use of this information?
- Can users be grouped according to how they use the information, and can this inform the design of access provisions?
- What are the implications of users’ experiences for designing effective BOT reforms?
Assumptions
Answering these research questions tested the following assumptions:
- There are different ways of using BO information, which may be associated with different user needs.
- The ways in which different parties use BO information can help inform a typology of data use. This can provide the basis for a more useful way to group and categorise different users, and to design access provisions.
Sampling and limitations
The research used a combination of semi-structured interviews; insights from Open Ownership’s experience providing technical assistance to agencies implementing BOT reforms; previous engagements with BO data users in a range of countries; and a rapid review of publicly available resources (see Appendix 3).
The research team identified user profiles based on the organisation’s previous knowledge and experience. The sampling approach was designed to cover the breadth of identified user profiles across a variety of regions. It leveraged Open Ownership’s existing network to identify research participants, using a snowball approach to identify additional participants and user profiles. The sample is not exhaustive, and the team was not able to secure interviews with all types of user profiles (e.g. prosecutors and industry regulators). Where possible, secondary research was used to complement the primary research, in particular for user profiles for which the team was not able to secure interviews.
It was easier to secure interviews with some profiles (e.g. investigative journalists and commercial service providers) than others (e.g. users from the AML-regulated private sector). Additionally, a number of representatives from tax authorities and trade associations were not able to openly share insights and accept interviews due to the sensitive nature of how they use the information.
Reflecting the progress in implementing BOT, most research participants were from regions with operational BO registers and more mature reforms (e.g. Africa; Europe and Central Asia). A number of research participants also work at the international level, offering insights from experience working across multiple jurisdictions.
See Appendix 2 for a full overview of research participants by profile as well as region of operation, along with other interview details. Throughout this report, research participants will be cited and referenced by their interview number, which can also be found in Appendix 2.
Data collection and analysis
Interview guides and note-taking templates were developed to answer each of the five main research questions (see Appendix 1). Interviews were conducted remotely between August 2023 and March 2024.
The data analysis comprised three main stages:
- Coding
The initial analysis involved coding interviews according to emerging themes using qualitative data-analysis software. A limited number of publications from the rapid documentation review were included in the initial analysis phase to address gaps in user profiles. The analysis helped identify a large number of common experiences and needs across various methods of using BO information, as well as some differences. However, the differences were not sufficient to immediately suggest how these could be categorised into separate profiles or types of use.
- Synthesis
Building on the coded data, the research team carried out further analysis to develop user personas, refine the understanding of similarities and differences, and develop a conceptual framework.
- Validation
The findings were validated both internally within Open Ownership and externally through:
– presenting emerging findings to agencies in charge of administering BO registers as well as BO data users from governments at events in Africa, Asia, and Latin America between March and November 2024;
– inviting a selection of research participants and subject-matter experts to review the published findings and to answer a survey. [6]
The research findings are presented in the next section.
Footnotes
[6] This included reviewing an abridged version of the findings published as a blog post. See: Julie Rialet, “Closing the loop: How beneficial ownership information is used and why it matters”, Open Ownership, 9 October 2024, https://www.openownership.org/en/blog/closing-the-loop-how-beneficial-ownership-information-is-used-and-why-it-matters/.