World Development· 2015Q1
Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?
- 789citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2015year
Short summary
Social accountability initiatives show mixed empirical evidence of tangible impacts, but a meta-analysis suggests strategic approaches combining citizen voice with state capacity are more promising than tactical, information-based interventions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Empirical evidence for the tangible impacts of social accountability initiatives is mixed.
- Tactical approaches, focused on information and bounded interventions, show limited success.
- Strategic approaches that combine enabling environments for collective action with increased state capacity are more effective.
- Sandwich strategies, fostering state-society synergy, can empower both citizen voice and state responsiveness.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
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.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. World Development, 2015 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Public Administration
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences