Publication: Mapping Context for Social Accountability : A Resource Paper
Loading...
Published
2013-01
ISSN
Date
2014-01-03
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Demand-side governance and social accountability approaches (SAcc) have steadily gained prominence as a perceived means for achieving and improving a range of development outcomes. This resource paper focuses on the issue of SAcc and context, arising out of a growing recognition that context is critical in shaping, making, and breaking SAcc interventions. As such, the four main objectives of this paper are: to outline the main contextual factors that appear to be critical to SAcc; to examine how SAcc interventions interact with the context to bring about change in order to provide a preliminary, context-sensitive Theory of Change (ToC); to explore the operational implications that arise from first two objectives; and to offer a flexible analytical framework to guide practitioners wanting to undertake context analysis prior to engaging in demand-side activities. The paper attempted to achieve these objectives by: summarizing and building on a recently-conducted global review of the evidence-base, drawing on relevant conceptual literature to deepen understanding of SAcc and context, reviewing case-study material to extract indications of what types of SAcc approaches might work best when faced with different contextual realities, and holding consultations with experts and practitioners to test and modify the ideas being developed. The report is separated into five chapters and an annex. Chapter one introduces the topic and the rationale for undertaking work in this area. Chapter two outlines some of the key contextual variables that emerge as critical in shaping the form and effectiveness of SAcc. This provides a broad framework for understanding the important contextual constraints and opportunities. Chapter three outlines some of the key ways in which SAcc has influenced the context to produce positive change. Chapter four then explores and unpacks the practical implications of the approach. It offers two tools for SAcc practitioners to begin exploring ways to tailor to their contexts in a more structured manner. Finally, the annex, based on the paper's overall framework, provides a set of guiding questions for undertaking a context analysis prior to supporting SAcc operations.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“O'Meally, Simon C.. 2013. Mapping Context for Social Accountability : A Resource Paper. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16490 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication The Political Economy of Social Accountability in Nepal(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011)The World Bank has introduced a new Program for Accountability in Nepal (PRAN) to enhance the capacities of civil society and government actors to utilize social accountability approaches and tools. This political economy study seeks to inform the PRAN by identifying the strengths and opportunities as well as risks and obstacles for social accountability initiatives in Nepal. It includes recommendations for managing and addressing these issues. The study is based on primary and secondary research conducted from September 2010 to February 2011. The research methodology utilized for this study was three-fold. First, a literature review was undertaken including in-country laws, policies and regulations, as well as a range of studies and articles on issues of relevance to social accountability in Nepal. A bibliography of these materials is attached as annex one. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key civil society leaders, non-governmental organization (NGO) staff, journalists, academics, government officials, and citizens. A list of people interviewed and guiding questions are attached as annex two. Third, the research team made field visits to the eastern and western regions of the country to observe social accountability initiatives and interview local stakeholders. In total 75 people were interviewed, including 12 civil society leaders. Focus group discussions with citizens were also conducted in Ilam, Dhankuta, Itahari, and Palpa. The first section of the paper provides a brief historical overview of political development in Nepal, and highlights how these historical legacies influence current day citizen-state relations and accountability relationships. Section two analyzes the legislative and institutional framework for social accountability in Nepal. The third section of the paper analyzes a range of contextual factors influencing social accountability in Nepal. Section four identifies citizen information, citizen voice, and collective action as three key elements of social accountability in Nepal, and discusses current strengths and weaknesses with regard to each of them. Section five of the paper looks at each one of the PRAN's three focal areas - public financial management, municipal governance, and community-based monitoring and evaluation of public services. Finally, section six outlines conclusions and recommendations for promoting social accountability in Nepal.Publication Initiatives Supporting Demand for Good Governance Across World Bank Group Sectors and Regions(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-08)This preliminary stocktaking report on the demand for good governance is an effort of the Demand For Good Governance (DFGG) peer learning network to bring together and highlight the wealth of existing knowledge and practices currently available to support DFGG across the World Bank. This report puts forth a framework with key principles for organizing the complex universe of DFGG efforts across sectors and regions. The paper also identifies entry-points areas of development assistance and illustrates a few good practice examples supporting and strengthening DFFG for the World Bank as it builds its understanding of the areas where the institution can scale-up these activities. This report identifies a wide-range of activities supporting DFGG, however, it is worthwhile to note some challenges in collecting information on these activities. The report provides a more detailed review of the overall findings of DFGG work across the Bank. This paper constitute the following sections: an overview of the key DFGG elements in the organizing framework; entry-points for strengthening demand for good governance with case study examples; summary of key findings of the stocktaking; and finally, some challenges that the World Bank needs to address to mainstream DFGG operationally. The annexes constitutes of the following parts: annex one is a compiled list of notable demand for good governance activities supported by the World Bank identified in the stocktaking exercise and by World Bank Vice President Units; annex two provides a brief description of projects to show how the projects and or elements within the projects support DFGG efforts; annex three provides an overview of broad categories of tools and mechanisms supporting DFGG elements in activities; annex four provides a list of World Bank staff contacted and interviewed in the stocktaking exercise; and annex five provides a list of references reviewed.Publication Governance Reform Under Real-World Conditions : Citizens, Stakeholders, and Voice(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)This book is a contribution to efforts to improve governance systems around the world, particularly in developing countries. It offers a range of innovative approaches and techniques for dealing with the most important nontechnical challenges that prevent many of those efforts from being successful or sustainable. By so doing, the book sets out the groundwork for governance reform initiatives. Its overarching argument is that the development community is not lacking the tools needed for technical solutions to governance challenges. The toolbox is overflowing; best practice manuals in various areas of interest tumble out of seminars and workshops. However, difficulties arise when attempts are made to apply what are often excellent technical solutions under real-world conditions. Human beings, acting either alone or in groups small and large, are not as amenable as are pure numbers. And they cannot be put aside. In other words, in the real world, reforms will not succeed, and they will certainly not be sustained, without the correct alignment of citizens, stakeholders, and voice.Publication Articulations of Local Governance in Timor-Leste(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-10)In pursuing a decentralization policy that sets out to devolve elements of state authority to municipalities, the Government of Timor-Leste faces a key challenge: how to combine different types of governance systems that have legitimacy at local and state levels. In order to inform this process, this policy note looks at how communities and local government currently work together to plan and implement local development initiatives. It attempts to answer the question, 'what steps might the government of Timor-Leste take to amplify the voice of citizens in development planning, and the responsiveness of the state to those voices?' This note informs current discussions on community-planning processes, dispute-resolution and complaints mechanisms within local development programs, and other important aspects of the decentralization agenda through a perspective informed by in-depth, local-level policy analysis.Publication Development Strategies : Integrating Governance and Growth(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-01)A frontier challenge for development strategy is to move beyond prescribing optimal economic policies, and instead -- taking a broad view of the interactions between economic, political and social constraints and dynamics -- to identify entry points capable of breaking a low-growth logjam, and initiating a virtuous spiral of cumulative change. The paper lays out four distinctive sequences via which the different dimensions might interact and evolve over time, and provides country-specific illustrations of each. Each sequence is defined by the principal focus of its initial step: 1) State capacity building provides a platform for accelerated growth via improved public sector performance and enhanced credibility for investors; strengthened political institutions and civil society come onto the agenda only over the longer term; 2) Transformational governance has as its entry point the reshaping of a country's political institutions. Accelerated growth could follow, insofar as institutional changes enhance accountability, and reduce the potential for arbitrary discretionary action -- and thereby shift expectations in a positive direction; 3) For 'just enough governance', the initial focus is on growth itself, with the aim of addressing specific capacity and institutional constraints as and when they become binding -- not seeking to anticipate and address in advance all possible institutional constraints; 4) Bottom-up development engages civil society as an entry point for seeking stronger state capacity, lower corruption, better public services, improvements in political institutions more broadly -- and a subsequent unlocking of constraints on growth. The sequences should not be viewed as a technocratic toolkit from which a putative reformer is free to choose. Recognizing that choice is constrained by history, the paper concludes by suggesting an approach for exploring what might the scope for identifying practical ways forward in specific country settings.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Direct and Indirect Impacts of Transport Mobility on Access to Jobs: Evidence from South Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-12)Access to jobs is essential for economic growth. In Africa, unemployment rates are notably high. This paper reexamines the relationship between transport mobility and labor market outcomes, with a particular focus on the direct and indirect effects of transport connectivity. As predicted by theory, wages are influenced by the level of commuting deterrence. Generally, higher earnings are associated with longer commute times and/or higher commuting costs. Local accessibility is also important, especially for individuals with time constraints. Both direct and indirect impacts are found to be significant in South Africa, where job accessibility has been challenging since the end of apartheid. For the direct impact, the wage elasticity associated with commuting costs is significant. Returns on commute are particularly high for women. Local accessibility to socioeconomic facilities, such as shops and health services, is also found to have a significant impact, consistent with the concept of mobility of care. To enhance employment, therefore, it is crucial to connect people not only to job locations but also to various socioeconomic points of interest, such as markets and hospitals, in an integrated manner. This integration will enable individuals to spend more time working and commuting longer distances.Publication Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-04)Grounded in new evidence from satellite data, “Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future” presents the first global assessment of freshwater reserves over the past two decades. The findings expose an alarming trend of “continental drying,” a persistent long-term decline in freshwater availability across vast landmasses. Not only are droughts and deluges becoming more unpredictable, but the total amount of freshwater available for use has also significantly declined. Continental drying, driven by global warming, worsening droughts, and unsustainable water and land use, is a silent but accelerating crisis—largely unknown to the public—that reshapes the global water narrative. Continental drying raises profound risks. This report reveals new empirical evidence showing how freshwater depletion leads to major job losses, reduced incomes, wildfires, and biodiversity threats. In the long term, the combined effects of drying and warming could push societies toward a tipping point where damage accelerates rapidly and adaptation becomes increasingly difficult. Against the backdrop of continental drying, global water consumption rose by 25 percent between 2000 and 2019, with about a third of this increase occurring in regions already experiencing drying. Compounding the pressure, a substantial share of water use in drying regions remains inefficient. Continental Drying identifies hot spots where rising demand and declining supply converge and explores where and how water savings can be realized. This report recommends a three-pronged approach to address the crisis: managing demand, augmenting water supply, and improving water allocation. Five cross-cutting levers—strengthening institutions, reforming water tariffs and repurposing subsidies, adopting water accounting, leveraging data and technological innovations, and valuing water in trade—are essential for effective implementation and to attract private investment to finance the approach. Beyond water, addressing trade barriers, investing in education and skills development, and improving access to markets and financial services are critical for strengthening job and livelihood resilience amid a continental drying crisis.Publication Kyrgyz Republic Country Climate and Development Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-03)This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) on the Kyrgyz Republic aims to support the country’s development goals amid a changing climate. The CCDR considers two policy scenarios up to 2050: the business-as-usual (BAU) and high-growth scenarios. As it quantifies the likely impacts of climate change on the Kyrgyz economy between now and 2050, the report highlights key government actions to best prepare for and adapt to climate impacts (referred to as “with adaptation” measures), with a particular focus on the time horizon up to 2030. The CCDR also outlines a path to net zero emissions by 2050 (referred to as “with mitigation” measures, “decarbonization,” or, simply, “net zero 2050”), highlighting associated development co-benefits.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.Publication Taxes, Spending, and Equity: International Patterns and Lessons for Developing Countries(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-17)Taxes and public spending underpin the basic administration of government and finance the human capital and infrastructure investments needed for economic growth. They can also have a significant and immediate impact on poverty and inequality. The question of how public finance can support longer-term growth objectives while promoting equity has become even more important in recent years, given the high fiscal deficits and debt levels most countries emerged with in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included the increasing cost of debt and the need to restart environmentally sustainable growth while helping households address the learning losses and other social scars caused by the pandemic. This paper examines the global evidence on which households pay which taxes and who benefits from what spending, and critically, the net effect on different households across the income distribution. The aim is to identify the patterns and lessons that emerge for designing progressive fiscal policies. A global dataset of 96 countries is assembled, spanning all regions of the world and all national income levels, grounded in the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) approach to fiscal incidence.