THE WORLD BANK OCIAL NO. 76 / APRIL 2003 DEVELOPMENT NOTES PARTICIPATION & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Social Accountability and Public Voice through Community Radio Programming Empowerment of the poor and social power and economic resources are common among accountability have become core values of CSOs.1 decentralization and democratization processes around the world, and are key to effective poverty reduction. Effective development requires not only legal Access to information and means to report and comment and regulatory frameworks enabling open and on issues of local interest are recognized as critical transparent public institutions, but also the informed enablers for empowerment and social accountability. participation of citizens and a free, diverse and competitive media making that openness and Mechanisms that promote accountability on the transparency possible.2 In that context, strengthening part of public institutions (supply side in terms of local institutions for public voice and community horizontal accountability) as well as mechanisms that mobilization becomes essential for the promotion of both promote governments being held accountable by civil empowerment and social accountability. society (demand side in terms of social and vertical accountability) are both essential for achieving effective This learning note will: sustainable development outcomes. Most communications initiatives supported by the World Bank · outline the objectives of the community radio and other donors have focused primarily on the supply initiative; side of accountability and not on strengthening the · explain how an enabling environment sets the stage demand side through actions that enable the poor and for the operation of community radio stations and civil society organizations (CSOs) to create and how, in turn, stations facilitate an enabling effectively utilize spaces for public voice and community environment; mobilization. · discuss in greater detail the issues surrounding the operationalizion of the initiative; The poor have limited influence in the · and present a case study. production of information and limited access to channels of communication in most countries borrowing from the 1 World Bank. This condition is reflected in two areas: the Fowler, Alan. Civil Society, NGDOs and Social concentration on ownership of key media institutions and Development: Changing the Rules of the Game. INRISD asymmetric access to mediums of communication. The Occasional Paper G1, January 2000. 2 latter is as prevalent among members of civil society as Stiglitz, Joseph. Transparency in Government in The Right to Tell ­ The Role of Mass Media in Economic Development, it is among the poor. In fact, different levels of access to World Bank Institute Development Studies, 2002. THE WORLD BANK Project Objectives "Lower levels of institutional development and influence tend to characterize the organizations of the poor. Local The ultimate aim of the initiative is to support and poor people's organizations suffer from civic social accountability and CDD approaches in Bank exclusion. Many hurdles prevent these organizations practice through developmentally sound community- from engaging in public debate and public policy radio programming, as well as to promote favorable implementation. Lack of access to information and regulatory and institutional arrangements for the voice, resources, and political leverage usually keeps the establishment and functioning of community radio organizations of the poor away from achieving direct stations. Deliverables and activities include: representation and engagement in development initiatives"3. Addressing these and other obstacles will · identifying and documenting good practices of contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for community radio development within and outside the participation of the poor in public debate and World Bank operations; advocacy work for improved policies and decisions · contributing a toolkit module on IEC (to be affecting their lives. produced by Development Communications); · drafting an Operational Manual on community radio, which will offer guidance and best practice on How does community radio impact social integrating community radio initiatives in Bank accountability? operations (discussed in greater detail later); In Latin America, which is populated by over · convening a workshop (the proceedings of which one thousand radio stations, community radio is will be used to inform the Operational Manual) with considered an important social agent promoting expert practitioners, a small group of staff, and human rights and participation because clients to develop basic approaches in supporting "community and civic radio incorporates new community radio stations; languages, new formats, other sounds, types of · piloting the Operational Manual in countries that are music, voices. It brings other ways of talking, supporting changes in their enabling environments for new relationships with listeners, ways of asking public interest radio in the context of Bank operations and answering questions, ways of making (discussed in greater detail later); demands and pressuring the authorities."4 · re-informing the Operational Manual with lessons learned from pilots; and fostering communities of practice, training, and dissemination of good practices across the Bank. The enabling environment for civic engagement can be defined as a set of interrelated conditions that foster the capacity of both NGOs and CSOs to engage in Community Radio and the Enabling Environment influencing public policies, strategies, and projects at both national and local level, in a sustained and effective Community radio stations can be critical manner. The Participation and Civic Engagement Group enablers of information, voice, and capacities for of the World Bank has defined three dimensions that dialogue and negotiation with public authorities. The should be taken into consideration in assessing an existence of a wide network of community radio stations ­broadcasting sound development content, disseminating information and providing a space for 3Reuben, William. Civic Engagement Social Accountability debate about public issues­ is an effective means for and Governance Crisis. Paper presented at the ISS 50th civic engagement of poor people, especially the illiterate Anniversary Conference: Globalization, Poverty and Conflict. poor. It allows for interaction, dialogue and direct The Hague, 2002. 4 community voice, as well as access to decision meetings "Gestión de la radio comunitaria y ciudadana." Claudia and events. Villamayor y Ernesto Lamas. AMARC y Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. 1998 THE WORLD BANK enabling environment for civil society to engage in development and poverty reduction: the legal Case study: East Timor framework, the political and institutional provisions, and The Bank has recently supported community radio cultural characteristics in a given country. Within each through a component in East Timor's Community dimension, five factors are essential (ARVIN): Empowerment and Local Governance Project (CEP). Some important lessons learned include: (i) Association: factors encouraging or preempting · Establishing ownership of the community radio the right to freedom of association as part of a station among the local population upon the group's identity or for collective action. very inception of the endeavor. Because ownership includes many actors (CSOs, local (ii) Resources: legal, institutional and cultural government, broadcast media, etc) participating arrangements affecting the ability of CSOs to in a wide range of activities (training, mobilize resources within the country and from procurement, etc), substantial time should be abroad. allotted to this stage of the process. (iii) Voice: conditions influencing the freedom of · Recognizing the impact of Bank procurement expression and the right to be listened, including policies. These policies were not written with public consent or dissent with particular policies small equipment purchases in mind, and can and practices. delay project progression. (iv) Information: functioning of the media and other · Establishing credibility in the realm of venues of communications, as well as public grassroots media, especially community radio, access to information. among local and international experts and practitioners. (v) Negotiation: creation or expansion of public spaces for citizens to negotiate with other · Developing contents and building capacity in stakeholders, especially with the state. objective but diverse reporting. As donors have focused in the past on funding equipment purchases, technical capacity building has Community radio stations can be seen as both quickly surfaced as the number one priority beneficiaries and benefactors of an enabling community radio stations. environment. They are beneficiaries in the sense that without an enabling legal and regulatory framework they would either not exist, or at most carry on limited operations in an illegal environment. Operationalizing the Community Radio Initiative As beneficiaries, these stations rely on legal frameworks that acknowledge their right to broadcast, political and Given that the Bank does not have a governmental environments that refrain from hindering comparative advantage in implementing community their content, and cultural mores that support voice as a radio project components, special care must be taken to fundamental right. integrate both internal and external expertise into the design and implementation phases of the project. As As benefactors, these stations facilitate access to previously mentioned, two objectives of the initiative are information, association, and voice. Communities may to create an Operational Manual and to pilot this manual utilize them as a means of participating in public in countries with a substantial infrastructure and discourse, organizing themselves behind shared causes, knowledge base in community radio. and benefiting from knowledge sharing. THE WORLD BANK In order to keep up with the stated goal of incorporating as much expertise as possible into the What is the role of community radio stations project, the Operational Manual will be written and in advancing social development? informed by a select group of community radio AMARC members see community radios "as an practitioners, highly experienced Bank staff, and experts integral part of the community in which they on grassroots media in general. An External Advisory participate. As media, they develop pluralistic and Committee on Civic Engagement, Empowerment, and participatory communication that is open to the Respect for Diversity, which first met in July 2001, will need for expression of the social and cultural reconvene in April 2003, to review progress of a six- sectors with less access to exclusively commercial topic program of which the community radio work media."6 While promoting development and program agreement is a part. This committee includes people's empowerment, community radios Soulé Issiaka (Director for Africa, Radio Netherlands), "adhere to the principles of democracy and Stephen Buckley (International Vice-President of participation."7 Lastly, "community radio AMARC5), and Alfonso Gumucio (Communications programming is designed by the community, to Consultant) among others. improve social conditions and the quality of its cultural life. The community itself decides what its Research for potential pilot countries is currently priorities and needs are in terms of information being carried out. All pilots will be subject to needs provision." However, in some countries, national assessments that will gauge the level of capacity (or state-owned) radios are engaged in public building and technical assistance required in terms of interest programming and broadcasting. They may human capital and content development, equipment also play important roles in the broadcasting of needed, and community/stakeholder interest and buy-in development content. (including citizens, local CSOs, local government officials, etc.). Potential Impact The Community Radio Initiative provides the Bank with an opportunity to integrate a project component that simultaneously promotes community mobilization, voice, and access to information. If implemented properly, the benefits of the initiative would stretch beyond developing knowledge resources and communities of practice around community radio for Bank and external use; it would also promote community integration and cooperation in the pursuit of shared social development goals, and supplement community-driven development and social accountability in borrowing countries. In addition, it presents the Bank with a valuable entry point into the broader development arena of community empowerment through grassroots media. 6Federación Argentina de Radios Comunitarias, FARCO. Argentina. 5Association of Community Radio Broadcasters 7TAMBULI - Communication Project. Philippines