http://www.gsdrc.org Academic and policy-relevant publications on governance and international development. en-uk Copyright © 2012 Governance and Social Development Resource Centre Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:13 GMT Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:13 GMT http://www.gsdrc.org/rss/open george@gsdrc.org george@gsdrc.org http://www.gsdrc.org/images/logos/logo_gsdrc.gif http://www.gsdrc.org 205 90 GSDRC logo Joy Moncrieffe This study examines the concept of accountability from technical and relational perspectives. It argues that the principles of justice and equality are key for cultivating more equitable relations of accountability, which are critical for human development and necessary for the stability of democracies. Accountability will remain abstract and non-transformative until the implications of its relational dimension are understood. It is important to recognise the ingrained perceptions that skew accountability in unproductive ways. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4230&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4230&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Ruth Stewart et al. This study finds that, while both micro-credit and micro-savings have the potential to improve the lives of poor people, micro-credit also has potential for harm. A growing micro-credit industry could therefore be a cause for concern and, if driven by people’s need to take out further loans after a default, it might in fact be a symptom of the failure of micro-credit. Micro-savings could be a safer investment for development agencies. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4225&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4225&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT OECD DAC Network on Gender Equality This paper highlights the need for innovative approaches and partnerships to scale up women's economic empowerment. Achieving women's economic empowerment will take sound public policies, a holistic approach and long-term commitment from all development actors. It is important to 'start with women' by integrating gender-specific perspectives into policy and programme design. More equitable access to assets and services – land, water, infrastructure, technology, innovation and credit – will strengthen women's rights, increase agricultural productivity and promote economic growth. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4224&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4224&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT DFID This preliminary literature review finds that, so far, evidence on what works in interventions relating to accountability and empowerment is fragmentary. Studies using the same method (such as RCTs) often yield different outcomes in different contexts, suggesting that success or failure is very dependent on context. Indeed, a number of cases across a range of sectors suggest the key influence of political dynamics on the success or failure of interventions. While there is some evidence of what works in specific areas, impact on long-term political dynamics is difficult to determine. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4223&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4223&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Philip N. Howard and Muzammil M. Hussain What has the 'Arab Spring' taught us about the role of digital media in political uprisings and democratisation? What are the implications of these events for our understanding of how democratisation works today? This study argues that social media have become a significant tool for civil society. New information technologies give activists information networks not easily controlled by the state and coordination tools that are already embedded in trusted networks of family and friends. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4222&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4222&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT DFID Does formal recognition of a right to sanitation (RTS) increase levels of availability and access to quality, affordable and adaptable sanitation services? This study finds that progress towards these goals seems to be faster in countries that have recognised an RTS. It is highly probable that sanitation services in countries seeking to fulfil an RTS will be more equitable and inclusive than elsewhere. However, attributing successes to a rights approach will require better monitoring and evaluation that includes rights-sensitive indicators. A further finding is that what makes formal recognition meaningful is a participatory approach to working to fulfil rights: citizen-state engagement is crucial. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4210&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4210&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Rosie McGee and John Gaventa What does impact mean in relation to accountability programmes and projects? This paper argues that current approaches to impact assessment in this field are inadequate: methodological wars are overshadowing key issues of power relations and politics. A learning approach to impact assessment is needed that gives power and politics a central place in monitoring and evaluation systems. Instead of looking at the extent to which the desired impact was achieved, it is important to look at what happened as a result of the initiative, how it happened and why. It is also important to test and revise assumptions about theories of change continually and to ensure the engagement of marginalised people in assessment processes. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4209&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4209&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Wilson Prichard How can tax reform enhance citizen-state relations? This report examines the role of taxation in building more responsive and accountable government, and in expanding state capacity. It finds that the specific character of tax systems and of tax reform is very important to strengthening connections between taxation and broader governance gains. Governments and donors can strengthen tax-governance links through three types of actions: 1) specific measures to enhance and re-orient the dominant tax reform agenda; 2) support for civil society actors to engage in debates about tax issues; 3) managing the provision of aid in ways that maximise positive revenue-raising incentives and local accountability. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4196&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4196&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT G. Shabbir Cheema What is the role of public trust in government and political institutions? What strategies can help restore and rebuild trust in different contexts? This chapter provides a conceptual framework to look at the relationship between trust and governance. The rest of the book examines how governments in the Asia-Pacific region have tried to improve electoral and parliamentary processes, decentralise governance, and improve service delivery and access. It also reviews civil society engagement, the accountability and transparency of governance, and public sector capacity. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4194&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4194&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster and Edward Miguel 'Community driven development' (CDD) has become a popular donor strategy in seeking to improve local institutions in developing countries. This study evaluates a CDD project in Sierra Leone that combined block grants for local public goods with intensive training and requirements for minority inclusion designed to catalyse collective action and empowerment. The study finds positive short-term effects on local public goods provision and economic outcomes, but no sustained impacts on collective action, decision-making processes, or the involvement of marginalised groups in local affairs. It also indicates the value of a pre-analysis plan in avoiding distorted results. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4182&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4182&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Edward Cameron What are the social and political implications of a discourse linking climate change and human rights? How is this discourse relevant for development practitioners? The human rights lens has rapidly emerged from obscurity to prominence and has succeeded in broadening the scope of climate change debate. This paper predicts that vulnerable groups worldwide will increasingly use arguments based on human rights to demand action. However, this discourse will need to adapt and demonstrate practical value for policymaking in order to achieve substantive outcomes. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4163&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4163&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Arne Tostensen et al. This report synthesises lessons learned from an evaluation of Norwegian and Swedish aid interventions that aimed to promote child rights in Guatemala, Kenya, Mozambique and Sudan. It notes that a child rights perspective is integrated to the extent that interventions embody the four main principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. More effort is needed to implement in particular the principle of the child's right to express views and be heard, as child participation currently tends to be tokenistic. The strategies of mainstreaming a child rights perspective and of focusing interventions on children are complementary. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4161&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4161&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Michael Taylor This paper reports on pilot projects in Nigeria and Tanzania that tested the potential for religious organisations to engage collaboratively in policy consultation processes. The cases showed that Faith-Based Organisations can cooperate across religious and denominational divides to assemble grassroots data on issues central to Poverty Reduction Strategy Processes (and their successors), analyse findings and present them to government. They demonstrate that similar projects could be implemented more widely. Positive influences on policy depend, among other things, on the power relations within religious organisations and between faith communities and the state. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4152&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4152&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Mariz Tadros How can the international community advance gender equality in socially conservative contexts through effective support to women's coalitions? This report looks at how six collective initiatives in Egypt and Jordan have formed and worked politically to advance gender equality. It argues that engaging in informal 'backstage' politics is as important as formal channels of engagement in these 'closed' political spaces. The international community plays a critical role in supporting women's coalitions. Donors have provided some positive support, but there is room for improvement. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4149&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4149&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT T. Lee and S. Odugbemi How can international development actors help citizens to hold their governments to account? This chapter highlights lessons from a multi-author volume on accountability through public opinion. It argues that to achieve accountability, the following are needed: support for transparency and access to information; a free and plural media; and institutional strengthening for civil society. Public opinion is the real force for direct accountability, and it is important to understand its power and potential. Accountability, as a goal, cannot be separated from public opinion as a defining input. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4147&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4147&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Ruth Alsop and Nina Heinsohn How can we determine whether and how projects and policies aimed at empowering stakeholders reach their intended goals? Empowerment is recognised by the World Bank as one of the three pillars of poverty reduction, and is found in the documentation of hundreds of its projects. This paper presents an analytic framework that can be used to measure and monitor empowerment processes and outcomes. It argues that the framework is useful both within single countries and for cross-country comparison of degrees of empowerment. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4146&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4146&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT World Bank There are a number of pathways back from the brink of violent conflict, but there are two common elements in successful cases. The first is building 'inclusive-enough' coalitions, and identifying the signals and commitment mechanisms that can galvanise support for change. Pacts to end violence need not be all-inclusive, and can promote peace if they are minimally inclusive at the beginning. The second element is delivering results on the ground to build confidence in citizen security, justice and economic prospects. For both elements, successful transitions have made astute use of capacity from the private sector, traditional institutions and non-governmental organisations. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4145&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4145&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Harry Blair If social accountability is to be successful in holding public power-holders responsible for their actions, then the state must support the mechanisms used in exacting it. This chapter examines the many types of state support for social accountability, from the intensely active to the extremely reluctant. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4144&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4144&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Laurence Piper and Bettina von Lieres What role does democratic mediation play in deepening democracy in the global South? Democratic mediation is an increasingly common component of engagements between citizens and public authorities across the globe. This paper surveys three kinds of democratic mediation observed across a large number of case studies. It argues that increasing opportunities for democratic engagement and the growing complexity and remoteness of governance will mean that democratic mediation becomes increasingly relevant. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4143&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4143&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Peter P. Houtzager and Arnab K. Acharya To what extent does participation in associations increase active citizenship? How does associationalism impact on the quality of citizenship? Civic engagement theory suggests that associations empower members to engage in public politics and improve the quality of democracy. Empirical demonstration of this argument outside affluent countries is rare, however, and so this paper examines associationalism in São Paulo and Mexico City. It finds that associationalism leads to higher levels of active citizenship, but does not improve the quality of citizenship practices. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4142&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4142&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed Voice and accountability Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT