© 2008 theIDLgroup Accountability & voice for service delivery Taylor Brown Claire Hughes Tim Midgley

© 2008 theIDLgroup 1. Why accountability and voice (A&V) matter? 2. Key terms and frameworks 3. Strengthening A&V in practice 4. Challenges

© 2008 theIDLgroup 1. Why A&V matter? Enhanced A&V can: Empower citizens to claim their rights Capacitate public officials to meet their obligations Strengthen political will & state capacity for poverty reduction Improve efficiency and effectiveness of services

© 2008 theIDLgroup 2. Key terms Voice Capacity to express views and priorities, and to demand action from those in power

© 2008 theIDLgroup Accountability: Duty bearers  account for and take responsibility for their actions

© 2008 theIDLgroup Accountability: Duty bearers  account for and take responsibility for their actions  Rights holders able to hold duty bearers to account

© 2008 theIDLgroup Accountability: Duty bearers  account for and take responsibility for their actions  Rights holders able to hold duty bearers to account *Requires both answerability & enforceability

© 2008 theIDLgroup Forms of accountability HORIZONTAL

© 2008 theIDLgroup Horizontal accountability Checks & balances internal to a state. State institutions and agencies oversee and sanction other state institutions. e.g. Parliament, judiciary, anti-corruption and human rights commissions

© 2008 theIDLgroup Vertical accountability Citizens and other non-state actors hold representatives to account. e.g. elections, lobbying, mass mobilisation etc.

© 2008 theIDLgroup Social accountability Civic engagement to build accountability Citizens & CSOs hold service providers and govt officials accountable e.g. participatory planning and budgeting, public expenditure tracking, citizen monitoring of service delivery

© 2008 theIDLgroup A&V in service provision: a framework How to work on A&V in local level service provision?  Who are the key actors?  What are the key relations?

© 2008 theIDLgroup (source: World Bank 2003) A Framework for understanding A&V relations in service delivery

© 2008 theIDLgroup (source: World Bank 2003) A Framework for understanding A&V relations in service delivery

© 2008 theIDLgroup (source: World Bank 2003) A Framework for understanding A&V relations in service delivery

© 2008 theIDLgroup (source: World Bank 2003) A Framework for understanding A&V relations in service delivery

© 2008 theIDLgroup But, in parts of the Europe and CIS region…. …Both short and long route to accountability are weak or unbalanced Voice may be constrained (esp. for poor people) Lack of information about providers, performance, policies & budgets Limited ability to monitor & sanction decision makers or service providers Formal institutions of govt under-capacitated Few incentives for decision makers and providers to be answerable to citizens

© 2008 theIDLgroup 3. Strengthening A&V in practice In this context: Work on ‘traditional’ horizontal and vertical accountability systems & processes necessary, but not sufficient.  working on social accountability

© 2008 theIDLgroup State Providers Citizens/ clients A&V mechanisms

© 2008 theIDLgroup A&V mechanisms Improved information on performance & service delivery Performance management Public expenditure tracking State Providers

© 2008 theIDLgroup A&V mechanisms Information about services & providers Feedback mechanisms: Citizen report cards & Community score cards Community service planning & management committees (e.g. PTAs) Formal complaints processes Providers Citizens/ clients

© 2008 theIDLgroup A&V mechanisms Information about policies & budgets Advocacy & lobbying Participatory planning Participatory budget monitoring & auditing ombudsman State Citizens/ clients

© 2008 theIDLgroup State Providers Citizens/ clients  Information about policies & budgets  Advocacy & lobbying  Participatory planning  Participatory budget monitoring & auditing  ombudsman  Information about services & providers  Feedback mechanisms: Citizen report cards & Community score cards  Community service planning & management committees (e.g. PTAs)  Formal complaints processes  Performance management  Improved information on performance & service delivery  PETs A&V mechanisms and A&V

© 2008 theIDLgroup During the rest of the course, we will explore: how can these mechanisms be applied to improve A&V in your country contexts? How can the Capacity Development framework help you in your work on A&V?

© 2008 theIDLgroup 4. Key challenges How can we work to address the informal ‘rules of the game’ How can we work to bridge A&V, to work on both sides of the equation? How to work on A&V in especially constrained settings? What does working on A&V entail for the way UNDP operates in country?

© 2008 theIDLgroup End

© 2008 theIDLgroup Participation, accountability and voice Degree of influence Presences & representation: regular access to certain groups to decision-making Influence: citizen engagement  tangible impact on policy-making & service delivery Consultation: opening areas for dialogue & info sharing