Voice and accountability

About this guide

Poor people are often excluded from participating in policy design and programmes that have direct impact on their lives, and central and local government institutions are often neither responsive nor accountable to the poor. Following the limited success of many accountability methods focusing on the state, attention has shifted towards strengthening the ‘voice’, or capacity, of ordinary citizens to directly participate in policy-making processes. This guide introduces some of the core debates and considerations around designing and implementing effective voice and accountability (V&A) interventions. It looks at the changing context of V&A work, tools for citizen engagement and how to measure the impact of V&A work. It explores relevant debates around deepening democracy, citizenship, rights, power and representation. It also highlights ways to develop pre-conditions for and create spaces for participation, including poverty reduction strategies (PRS), poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA), decentralisation and other participatory approaches to development.

This topic guide was prepared by Anna Orrnert. The GSDRC appreciates the contributions of John Gaventa (Institute of Development Studies) and Katja Jobes (DFID). Comments, questions or documents for consideration should be sent to enquiries@gsdrc.org

Latest additions

The following document summaries were added in June 2010:

• Holland, J., and Thirkell, A., 2009, ‘Measuring Change and Results in Voice and Accountability Work’, DFID Working Paper 34, DFID, London
• Galtung, F., and Tisné, M., 2009, ‘A New Approach to Post-Conflict Reconstruction’, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 93-107
• Broadbent, E. J., and Kamara, A., 2009, ‘The Grass of the Rich? Integrity and Post-war Reconstruction in Sierra Leone’, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Freetown
• aidinfo, 2008, ‘Better Information: Better Aid’, Draft Consultation Paper, Development Initiatives, Wells
• Van der Gaag, N., and Rowlands, J., (eds), 2009, ‘Speaking Out: Case Studies on How Poor People Influence Decision-Making’, Practical Action/Oxfam, Rugby/Oxford

New additions