Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?
Published Web Location
https://accountabilityresearch.org/publication/social-accountability-what-does-the-evidence-really-say-2015/Abstract
Empirical evidence of tangible impacts of social accountability initiatives is mixed. This meta-analysis reinterprets evaluationsthrough a new lens: the distinction between tactical and strategic approaches to the promotion of citizen voice to contribute toimproved public sector performance. Field experiments study bounded, tactical interventions based on optimistic assumptions about the power of information alone, both to motivate collective action and to influence the state. Enabling environments for collective actioncombined with bolstered state capacity to respond to citizen voice are more promising. Sandwich strategies can help ‘voice’ and ‘teeth’ tobecome mutually empowering, through state–society synergy.
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