1. What is Social Accountability & What Does It Mean for EI? December 5, 2006 Carmen Malena “Social Accountability Inc.” cmalena@ccapcable.com

2. 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.

3. 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

4. Examples of social accountability practices National Local Policies/ plans Participatory policy- making (e.g. on EI) Participatory local planning RevenuesRevue reporting (Publish What You Pay) Public posting/reporting of community revenues BudgetsIndependent budget analysis Participatory budgeting ExpendituresParticipatory expenditure tracking Citizen monitoring of local expenditures ServicesCitizen evaluation of public services (e.g.report cards) Participatory M&E of local services (community scorecards) Public oversight Ombudsman-civil society partnerships Citizen oversight committees, public hearings

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Some Key Challenges Building “political will” Citizen/civil society capacity-building Who pays? Enabling environment Enforcement