Transcript Civic Engagement for Social Accountability

What is Social Accountability &
What Does It Mean for EI?
December 5, 2006
Carmen Malena
“Social Accountability Inc.”
[email protected]
Social Accountability
Accountability can be defined as the obligation of
power-holders to account for or take responsibility
for their actions.
Social accountability is about:
(i) affirming “downwards” accountability
obligations and,
(ii) empowering ordinary citizens (especially
women & marginalized groups) to hold
“powerful” societal actors to account.
Key benefits of social
accountability include…

Improved governance
-address current problems of corruption,
lack of legitimacy and distrust

Enhanced development results & impact
-greater relevance, equity, impact and
sustainability

Citizen empowerment
-strengthen citizen voice and influence,
address power imbalances
Examples of social accountability practices
National <------------------------> Local
Policies/
plans
Participatory policymaking (e.g. on EI)
Participatory local planning
Revenues
Revue reporting (Publish
What You Pay)
Public posting/reporting of
community revenues
Budgets
Independent budget
analysis
Participatory budgeting
Expenditures
Participatory expenditure Citizen monitoring of local
tracking
expenditures
Services
Citizen evaluation of
Participatory M&E of local
public services (e.g.report services (community
cards)
scorecards)
Public
oversight
Ombudsman-civil society Citizen oversight
committees, public hearings
partnerships
Key Elements of
Social Accountability
 Information
• transparency
• demystification/public dissemination
 Voice
• protection of freedoms and rights
• spaces for dialogue
 Negotiation
• clearly defined terms of engagement
• enforcement and sanctions
Key distinguishing features of social
accountability approaches…
emphasis on “demand-side”
 acknowledge and affirm rights
 focus on citizens
 seek to address power imbalances
 ideally, sustained process (v. one-off event)
 not just “participation” but answerability
and enforcement.

Some Key Challenges
 Building
“political will”
 Citizen/civil society capacity-building
 Who pays?
 Enabling environment
 Enforcement