Post on 27-Mar-2015
Recent thinking and experiences around domestic accountability
Introduction session EC Governance seminar
(4-8th July 2011)By Jean Bossuyt (ECDPM)
DOMESTIC ACCOUNTABILITY IS MOVING TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
… And offers a great window of opportunities for donor agencies willing to support change…
DA is not primarily an aid effectiveness issue
BUT all about societal change the “social contract” between state and society and citizens claiming their rights
PUSH FACTORS
• DA and aid effectiveness (Busan 2011)• Ongoing work on DA in sectors• Role DA in budget support operations• DA as a key governance challenge (GOVNET)• DA as a tool to ensure democratic deepening• Other entry points into DA such as “citizen
action” or “taxation/domestic resource mobilisation”
• Growing research and community of practice
Three underpinning principles: • Transparency: access to information about commitments
the state has made and the extent to which these commitments have been honoured
• Answerability: obligation of the government, its agencies and public officials to provide information about their decisions and actions and to justify them to the public and institutions tasked with providing oversight
• Enforcement: willingness and power of citizens or the institutions that are responsible for accountability to sanction the offending party or remedy the contravening behaviour
Voice and accountability are essential ingredientsof the domestic democracy agenda
VOICEVOICEVOICEVOICE ACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITY
• Refers to capacity to Refers to capacity to EXPRESS VIEWS and to EXPRESS VIEWS and to
EXERCISE this CAPACITY EXERCISE this CAPACITY in policy and governance in policy and governance processes (INFLUENCE)processes (INFLUENCE)
• Linked to active Linked to active CITIZENSHIPCITIZENSHIP
• Essential building block of Essential building block of accountabilityaccountability
• Voice is expressed Voice is expressed through variety of formal through variety of formal
and informal and informal channels/mechanismschannels/mechanisms
• Concerns the relationship Concerns the relationship between rulers and ruledbetween rulers and ruled
(domestic politics and power)(domestic politics and power)• Justification of decisions Justification of decisions
and actionsand actions• Ability of citizens to hold Ability of citizens to hold state ANSWERABLE for its state ANSWERABLE for its
actions and impose actions and impose sanctions sanctions
(ENFORCEABILITY)(ENFORCEABILITY)• Accountability is sought Accountability is sought through variety of channels through variety of channels
and mechanismsand mechanisms
The various dimensions of Accountability
WHO is being held to account? (i.e. state, politicians, public officials)
WHO is holding to account? (i.e. accountability institutions such as parliament, opposition parties, the media, civil society, etc.)
WHAT are they holding them to account for ? (i.e. policies implemented or not by the State)
WHERE are they holding them into account? (i.e. within the country concerned)
HOW are they holding them to account? (i.e. through various formal/informal mechanisms beyond elections)
8
Accountability is Complex
Source: Adapted from: Morazán and Koch 2010: Monitoring Budget support in Developing countries, A comparative analysis of national control mechanisms over budget support in developing countries“. Sűdwind, p.57
WE NEED TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT TRANSFORMATIONAL CAPACITY OF
POLITICAL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY
Decentralisation changes accountability chain
Central Government
LocalElectedCouncil
Own Staff Local Sector Department Staff
Citizens, voters, taxpayers & users of services
Upward accountability
& control
Upward political accountability &
control
Quality of policy & legal compliance & fiscal effort
Horizontal managerial accountability & control
Quality of policy & planning decisions, management & overall governance
Quality of general administration
Quality of service delivery
Local Government Accountability Mechanisms
Lessons of experience (1)
DA as a highly political endogenous process (limits external intervention, risk of doing harm)
Critical importance political economy analysis (baseline, incentives, reform capacity)
Consider DA as a “system” with a chain of actors and potential agents of accountability (=choosing smart “entry points” yet addressing the system)
LET’s LOOK THROUGH the WALL
Beware of external drivers moving too quickly…
Lessons of experience (2)
Combine supply and demand driven approaches Ensure information/transparency Facilitate linkages between DA at local level and
at macro levelEngage with actors “beyond the comfort zone” Move beyond “DA and aid” and rather invest in
societal processes of DAAdequately consider role and limitations as donor Focus on intermediate results
… supporting domestic accountability is not a quick fix…
Promoting domesticaccountability
from the outside
Integrating PE-analysis into the actual design of support
programmes
Ensuring institutional change on the donor
side to deliver effective support in domestic
accountability
Investing in concrete processes and mechanisms for accessing, reconciling and enforcing rights and
obligations
Focusing on incremental change through realistic,
cumulative and combined support
strategies
Main challenges for greater effectiveness in promoting domestic accountability
Building coalitions of reform-minded actors (social mobilisation)
Four major limitations faced by donor agencies
LEGITIMACY CAPACITY INNOVATIVE POWER
INSTITUTIONALINCENTIVES
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