Communications and governance

How to use this guide

This guide can be read online using the links to its five sections at the top of this page. The full guide can also be downloaded as a pdf (42 pages; 560 KB).

The guide includes one-paragraph summaries of key texts. Clicking on the link in a document title will take the reader to a second, longer summary of the document. Direct links to the original text are also given.

About this guide

This guide introduces some of the best recent literature on the role of communications in governance. It highlights the major critical debates surrounding the relationship between communications, government accountability and responsiveness, and state-society relations in developing countries. It is intended primarily as a reference for policymakers, and highlights practical guidance, lessons learned and case studies on supporting the development of independent and plural media systems, increasing access to information, and using communications tools in governance reform processes across a range of contexts, including fragile and conflict-affected states. New publications and emerging issues will be incorporated on a quarterly basis.

The guide was written by Claire Mcloughlin (GSDRC) and Zoë Scott (GSDRC) in April 2010, in close collaboration with the Communication for Governance and Accountability (CommGAP) program of the World Bank. The GSDRC appreciates the expert contributions made by Antonio Lambino and Anne-Katrin Arnold (CommGAP), Pippa Norris (Kennedy School of Government), and Gerry Power (BBC). Comments or document suggestions can be sent to Claire Mcloughlin.

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