Recent thinking and experiences around domestic accountability Introduction session EC Governance seminar (4-8 th July 2011) By Jean Bossuyt (ECDPM)

Recent thinking and experiences around domestic accountability

Introduction session EC Governance seminar

(4-8th July 2011)By Jean Bossuyt (ECDPM)

DOMESTIC ACCOUNTABILITY IS MOVING TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

… And offers a great window of opportunities for donor agencies willing to support change…

DA is not primarily an aid effectiveness issue

BUT all about societal change the “social contract” between state and society and citizens claiming their rights

PUSH FACTORS

• DA and aid effectiveness (Busan 2011)• Ongoing work on DA in sectors• Role DA in budget support operations• DA as a key governance challenge (GOVNET)• DA as a tool to ensure democratic deepening• Other entry points into DA such as “citizen

action” or “taxation/domestic resource mobilisation”

• Growing research and community of practice

Three underpinning principles: • Transparency: access to information about commitments

the state has made and the extent to which these commitments have been honoured

• Answerability: obligation of the government, its agencies and public officials to provide information about their decisions and actions and to justify them to the public and institutions tasked with providing oversight

• Enforcement: willingness and power of citizens or the institutions that are responsible for accountability to sanction the offending party or remedy the contravening behaviour

Voice and accountability are essential ingredientsof the domestic democracy agenda

VOICEVOICEVOICEVOICE ACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITYACCOUNTABILITY

• Refers to capacity to Refers to capacity to EXPRESS VIEWS and to EXPRESS VIEWS and to

EXERCISE this CAPACITY EXERCISE this CAPACITY in policy and governance in policy and governance processes (INFLUENCE)processes (INFLUENCE)

• Linked to active Linked to active CITIZENSHIPCITIZENSHIP

• Essential building block of Essential building block of accountabilityaccountability

• Voice is expressed Voice is expressed through variety of formal through variety of formal

and informal and informal channels/mechanismschannels/mechanisms

• Concerns the relationship Concerns the relationship between rulers and ruledbetween rulers and ruled

(domestic politics and power)(domestic politics and power)• Justification of decisions Justification of decisions

and actionsand actions• Ability of citizens to hold Ability of citizens to hold state ANSWERABLE for its state ANSWERABLE for its

actions and impose actions and impose sanctions sanctions

(ENFORCEABILITY)(ENFORCEABILITY)• Accountability is sought Accountability is sought through variety of channels through variety of channels

and mechanismsand mechanisms

The various dimensions of Accountability

WHO is being held to account? (i.e. state, politicians, public officials)

WHO is holding to account? (i.e. accountability institutions such as parliament, opposition parties, the media, civil society, etc.)

WHAT are they holding them to account for ? (i.e. policies implemented or not by the State)

WHERE are they holding them into account? (i.e. within the country concerned)

HOW are they holding them to account? (i.e. through various formal/informal mechanisms beyond elections)

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Accountability is Complex

Source: Adapted from: Morazán and Koch 2010: Monitoring Budget support in Developing countries, A comparative analysis of national control mechanisms over budget support in developing countries“. Sűdwind, p.57

WE NEED TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT TRANSFORMATIONAL CAPACITY OF

POLITICAL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY

Decentralisation changes accountability chain

Central Government

LocalElectedCouncil

Own Staff Local Sector Department Staff

Citizens, voters, taxpayers & users of services

Upward accountability

& control

Upward political accountability &

control

Quality of policy & legal compliance & fiscal effort

Horizontal managerial accountability & control

Quality of policy & planning decisions, management & overall governance

Quality of general administration

Quality of service delivery

Local Government Accountability Mechanisms

Lessons of experience (1)

DA as a highly political endogenous process (limits external intervention, risk of doing harm)

Critical importance political economy analysis (baseline, incentives, reform capacity)

Consider DA as a “system” with a chain of actors and potential agents of accountability (=choosing smart “entry points” yet addressing the system)

LET’s LOOK THROUGH the WALL

Beware of external drivers moving too quickly…

Lessons of experience (2)

Combine supply and demand driven approaches Ensure information/transparency Facilitate linkages between DA at local level and

at macro levelEngage with actors “beyond the comfort zone” Move beyond “DA and aid” and rather invest in

societal processes of DAAdequately consider role and limitations as donor Focus on intermediate results

… supporting domestic accountability is not a quick fix…

Promoting domesticaccountability

from the outside

Integrating PE-analysis into the actual design of support

programmes

Ensuring institutional change on the donor

side to deliver effective support in domestic

accountability

Investing in concrete processes and mechanisms for accessing, reconciling and enforcing rights and

obligations

Focusing on incremental change through realistic,

cumulative and combined support

strategies

Main challenges for greater effectiveness in promoting domestic accountability

Building coalitions of reform-minded actors (social mobilisation)

Four major limitations faced by donor agencies

LEGITIMACY CAPACITY INNOVATIVE POWER

INSTITUTIONALINCENTIVES

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