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Accountability
Improving accountability relationships is an effective strategy for developing capacity. Effective accountability mechanisms induce both governmental and non-governmental organizations to remain relevant and responsive to the needs and demands of the groups they serve.
Holding those in power accountable for tackling poverty and ensuring the well-being of all citizens is quite a challenge, especially in societies characterized by authoritarian styles of leadership. Furthermore, the concept of accountability is itself quite broad: ranging from macro-level financial systems to the interpersonal relationships that drive the most basic level of development action. Civil society organizations, in particular, are becoming more innovative in influencing policymaking and monitoring the use of public resources. Drawing from a wide variety of governance contexts, this section showcase innovative approaches and tools that can help empower individuals and groups seeking to make a greater contribution in this area.
Featured Article
SNV Practice Brief: Supporting domestic accountability
Accountability can be an abstract concept, but it comes alive for ordinary citizens if it
involves looking at whether (and how) funding for services is distributed and spent at the local
level. This Practice Brief is the first of a new series prepared by practitioners working with the
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. It helps to shed some light on what support organisations
can do to amplify the voice of local stakeholders in demanding greater accountability from
governments and service providers.
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Recent Articles
Africa Capacity Indicators 2013 report published
02 April 2013
The 2013 edition of the Africa Capacity Indicators Report (ACIR) on the theme
Capacity Development for Natural Resources Management was launched in March 2013. The
report focuses on what African countries need to do individually and collectively to effectively
manage the continent's nautral resource wealth. Like the previous two editions, the Africa
Capacity Index ranks the performance of 44 African countries according to four key clusters of
capacity: the policy environment; processes for implementation; development results at the country
level; and capacity development outcomes.
Review of USAID support to local capacity development completed
18 March 2013
A working group set up to review the reform of USAID's policies in the area of domestic accountability, has released its findings and recommendations. The Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) focused its review on two overall goals in the reform process that are most relevant for changing the way the Agency engages in implementation and procurement work in support of building sustainability and local partnerships.
MoreLessons in "pro-poor" leadership strategies
15 February 2013
This review by the Development Leadership Programme draws insights from three case studies of
'pro-poor' political leaders: Yoweri Museveni in Uganda, Digvijay Singh in India’s Madhya Pradesh
state and Fernando Henrique Cardoso in Brazil.The studies are analysed in the book "Against the
Odds: Politicians, institutions and the struggle against poverty" (2012) by Marcus Andre Melo,
Njuguna Ng'ethe & James Manor.
Stakeholder views on aid effectiveness
14 February 2013
Time to Listen captures experiences and ideas
on how to make international aid more effective and shift the paradigm from the current externally
driven aid delivery system to a collaborative one that truly supports local people as drivers of
their own development. The publication is based on a research initiative, the Listening Project,
which sought the views of more than 6,000 people in 20 aid receiving countries who have received
international assistance, observed the effects of aid efforts, or been involved in providing
aid.
Evaluation and civil society
12 February 2013
Evaluation provides an avenue for challenging and changing development practices which do not
adequately serve the needs, rights and aspirations of all. This publication aims to contribute to
the international discussions on how different stakeholders can create synergies and partnerships
to contribute to equity-focused and gender-responsive country-led evaluation systems. It is the
first volume of a proposed series of publications on Evaluation and Civil Society.
Strengthening local governance: Towards context-specific theories of change for citizen engagement and state accountability
14 January 2013
This project briefing paper from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), UK, uses a critical analysis of citizen voice and accountability (CV&A) cases to examine how CV&A happens in different governance contexts. According to the author, CV&A project interventions produce and reproduce diverse outcomes that are not amenable to linear models of theories of change (ToC), which are "starting to be viewed as...a key part of what constitutes 'rigour' in impact evaluations. The paper draws on the experiences of ODI's Mwananchi Programme, a 5-year programme initiative to strengthen ordinary citizens' voices and improve state accountability and responsiveness in six African countries.
MoreOther Topics
Essential Readings
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Theisohn, T. (2007) Using accountability relationships to support capacity, in Capacity.org issue 31
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Rakesh Rajani (2010) "Capacity is Political, Not Technical: The Case of HakiElimu in Promoting Accountability in Education in Tanzania" in Ubels, J., N. Acquaye-Baddoo and A. Fowler (eds) Capacity Development in Practice, Earthscan, pp. 157-166
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Asian Development Bank (2007) Improving Local Governance and Service Delivery: Citizen Report Card Learning Tool Kit
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World Bank (2004) Making services work for poor people
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“Our Money, Our Responsibility: A Citizens’ Guide to Monitoring Government Expenditures” The International Budget Project (IBP) 2008
Featured Community
ALNAP
Active Learning
Network on Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance (ALNAP) is a unique,
sector-wide network that brings together the major actors involved in international responses to
conflicts and natural disasters. Established in 1997, following the multi-agency evaluation of the
Rwanda genocide, ALNAP is a collective response dedicated to improving humanitarian performance
through increased learning and accountability.
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