Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?
Abstract
Empirical evidence of tangible impacts of social accountability initiatives is mixed. This meta-analysis reinterprets evaluations through a new lens: the distinction between tactical and strategic approaches to the promotion of citizen voice to contribute to improved 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 action combined with bolstered state capacity to respond to citizen voice are more promising. Sandwich strategies can help ‘voice’ and ‘teeth’ to become mutually empowering, through state–society synergy.
Publication
World Development
Volume
72
Pages
346-361
Date
August 1, 2015
Journal Abbr
World Development
Language
en
ISSN
0305-750X
Short Title
Social Accountability
Accessed
15/04/2021, 16:06
Library Catalogue
ScienceDirect
Citation
Fox, J. A. (2015). Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say? World Development, 72, 346–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.03.011