Citizens’ Demand for Better Governance

1. Citizens’ Demand for Better Governance Lessons from Asia and the Bank’s Cambodia program John Clark, Oslo Governance Forum

2. Governance is at root about Accountability • i.e. about obligation of Power-holders for: • Their performance • Doing what they are supposed to do • Use of resources entrusted to them • For honesty, integrity, not abusing power • Two dimensions – upwards & downwards

3. Accountability – supply-side • To state servants acting for us • To managers and ministers • To audit officers, financial controllers • To Parliament (for implementing policies) • To judiciary • To Anti-corruption & oversight bodies

4. Accountability – demand-side • Most systems allow more direct accty. • Citizen complaints, ombudsmen • Collective lobbying of MPs etc • Protests; direct action • NGOs, consumers unions, PTAs etc • Independent media • Think tanks and advice bureaus

5. How to enhance Accountability? There has been varying success with these. What has been learnt is that success often depends on direct participation of the people • Better Rules and Regulations • – administrative procedures, audits … • Stronger Market Principles • – privatization or contracting out … • Independent Agencies • – ombudsman, vigilance commissions … • “Social Accountability” – make it effective

6. What is Social Accountability? • Set of tools/activities that allow a rigorous analysis to be formed by aggregating grassroots perspectives → hard evidence • Plural of “anecdote” is “data” • Citizens engaged - individually, or in CSOs • Driven from below, bottom-up messages • It complementsformal accountability, especially where that is ineffective

7. e.g. Textbook Watch, Philippines • Parents concerned that schoolbooks weren’t delivered, were late, or were poor quality • TAN did survey: 40% books shipped from center could not be accounted for at district level (not all corruption) • Carefully tracked production and delivery of 15M books/year (+Boy Scouts) – found where errors occurred • Now virtually no books go astray; time from production to school desk was cut from 24 to 12 months; most children now get their books by the start of the school year • Cost per book has been cut by 55% • Educ. Secretary became a champion (then joined NGO)

8. Better Services Good Govern’ce Empower-ment Why Social Accountability is Important Social Account’y

9. Social Accountability Toolkit • Report cards on services; opinion polls • Community score-cards • Budget analysis • Expenditure tracking • Corruption monitoring and surveys • Right to information campaigns • Demystifying govt. information Some used by specialists; others with citizens; others by NGOs

10. FOLLOWING THE MONEY: Participatory Public Expenditure Management Cycle Budget FormulationPorto Alegre, Brazil Budget Review & AnalysisGujarat, India Performance MonitoringCitizen Scorecards India and Philippines Civic Engagement Expenditure TrackingUganda

11. Short and long routes of accountability

12. Conditions needed for S.Ac Enabling legal environment for civil society and its watchdog roles Tradition of freedom of information; citizens access to that information Independent media; free from persecution Openness of public sector; willingness to hear what constructive critics have to say

13. But needs from civil society too • Capacity to analyze policy issues, budgets • Credible parallel sources of information • Other capacity issues – management, research skills, resources, communications skills • Objectivity; being constructive • Ability to generate confidence (media, MPs) • Support of citizens, media, donors etc • Connection with public institutions Capacity …. Credible …. Connected …. Conscientious …. Constructive ….

14. SAc completes the Civil Society Spectrum Public Service Contractors Investigative journalists Development NGOs Advocacy Groups Charities Missing Middle Constructive civic engagement Demonstrators Cooperative Hostile

15. Bridge-building skills • Easier to criticize & try to stop something than to promote an alternative way of working; hard work, can be thankless • Govt. can see it as meddling • Other CSOs can see it as selling out • But that is inherent in building a bridge … • Engineers know bridge building is all about managing stresses and tensions

16. Independent, reliable product information Rating user views Comparison of products Value for money audits Producer integrity Impartial grievance channels Class action suits Community-level research on services Public Opinion Polls Citizen / community report cards Tracking expenditures Dialogue with Govt. Citizen ombudsman, campaigns Taking cases to MPs Parallel with Consumers Movement

17. Response of the public sector • Some see SAc as meddling, when there are “checks and balances inherent in the state • But for most clients there isn’t the separation of state powers, nor the real will to be clean • They often don’t wantrealchecks & balances • Remember: the Private Sector is strongest in countries with strongest Consumer Movements • GAC strategies need the citizen demand-side • Is problem institutionalfailure, or intent failure?

18. e.g. 1) Budget analysis; Gujarat, India • More funds directed to priority sectors • Reduced errors in State accts (was ~ 600/yr) • Professionalized scrutiny by State legislature • Media publicity; public awareness • Better flow of information among ministries • DISHA model replicated in 12 other Indian states • National budget now analyzed similarly

19. e.g. 2) Participatory budgeting, Porto Alegre • Partic. budgeting helps balance the books • Tax revenues ↑ 50% (people more motivated to pay taxes) • Number of children in public schools doubled • 1989-96 HHs accessing water rose 80 → 98% • Over 80 Brazilian cities now follow the Porto Alegre model

20. e.g. 3) Public expenditure tracking; Uganda • After survey govt. required district grants to be published monthly in newspapers and on radio • Primary schools and district authorities required to post notices on all inflows of funds • Schools and parents now have access to info needed to understand and monitor budgets • Share of funds reaching schools ↑ 20%–80% • Primary enrollment 3.6M → 6.9 M from 1996–01

21. e.g. 4) Citizens report cards; Bangalore • Public agencies now respond to citizen concerns • “Worst” agency overhauled systems for service delivery and introduced public forums to consult • Electric Board initiated dialogue with residence associations to redress grievances • Public awareness on service quality rose greatly • Report cards enhanced CSO activism and citizen monitoring in Bangalore • Tool has been replicated in Indian and many countries (from Philippines to USA)

22. e.g. 5) Lobbying on Corruption; Indonesia • FITRA analyzed local spending in range of provinces • Debated in local and national parliaments • Identified better ways to monitor corruption • Citizens action enhanced formal accountability • FITRA head - now Dep. Speaker in Upper House

23. Cambodia • Well known problems of Corruption and governance failure; INT case, scandals • WB prepared a “Governance CAS” • Govt is not monolithic; some we can work with • Reformers seek to promote change • RGC’s Rectangular Strategy puts reform of governance at the center • Many CSOs prepared to help win reforms • But no tradition of or forums for constructive engagement

24. Cambodia- environment for SAc • Vibrant democracy; many parties, but weak Parl. • Policy environment relatively enabling for CSOs, independent media, professional assocs • But govt./PM unpredictable, hate criticism, brutal • Laws ambiguous or absent; odd laws used oddly • No FOI law, and no practice of sharing info • Civil Society capacity low, polarized in capital, unreliable with data/research, not strongly connected with grassroots, new to skills of SAc • Wild cards:High growth, discovery of oil, China

25. INFORMATION People mostly interested in local issues that affect them

26. INFORMATION … but mostly get their info from national radio and TV

27. VOICE Citizens have little confidence their voice can effect change – but seen NGOs as powerful influencers

28. ASSOCIATION Rely heavily on local level leaders/authorities, & NGOs

29. Participation & Constructive Dialogue Citizens attend commune council meetings but participation is passive and unorganized.

30. Who do you think can solve land issues?

31. Conclusions • Very weak connection between citizens and decision-makers • Short-route of accountability - in bad repair • Scant info about issues people care about • Hierarchical society, little social capital • Weak CSO presence at local levels • Little space or confidence for negotiation • Much to learn from Soc. Acct. elsewhere

32. DFGG Project– $20M IDA grant + + Concepts: • PROMOTE • Disclosure,Demystification and Dissemination of information • Collective action • MEDIATE • Feedback • Consultation • Dispute resolution • MONITOR • Participatory monitoring • Budget analysis and tracking • Formal oversight DFGG • RESPOND • Service delivery innovations • Performance rewards and incentives • Participatory action plans

33. DFGG Project Components Window One:State Institutions($12 million) 2. Window Two:Non-state Actors($4.5 million). 2a Parallel CS Program: CS Capacity Build. ($2 million) 3.Window Three:Coord. & learning ($2 million)

34. Window One: Support to State Institutions • Min. of National Assembly & Senate Relations Promotion:dissemination of laws & entitlements • Min of Information – Radio National Kampuchia Promotion:outreach of govt. progs / policies Mediation: “Talk Back Radio” • Min. of Labor – Arbitration Council Mediation:of worker/boss conflicts (garments) Response:clear decisions based on law • Ministry of Interior – “One Window Service” Response:provision of quality service deliveryMediation:grievance redress mechanism

35. Window Two: Support to Non-State Institutions • Small grants (up to $15K) which • For small CSOs to try Social Accountability tools that have worked elsewhere • Devel. Marketplace competition (up to $150K) • Larger grants for more established actors • Support for Networks & Coalitions • Partnership Grants • CSO progs developed with state institutions

36. Window 2a: Program to Enhance Capacity in Social Accountability - PECSA • Training, exchange visits, study tours • Mentoring by experienced NGO in Asia • Seed funds to test new SAc approaches • Networking and resource center • Monitoring, evaluation and learning

37. Building partner-ships Pillar-2 Pillar-1 Support to State Institutions Support to Non-State Institutions Promoting ‘learning by doing’ Pillar-3 Creating a ‘ripple effect’ for others Coordination, Learning, and Ripple effect Window 3:Coordination & learning

38. Lessons on Social Accountability - 1 • We’re new at it; don’t kid ourselves we know how to do it (“maindreaming”); work + others • Boundaries betw. Supply and Demand sides are fuzzy; both need each other • GAC isn’t a technicalproblem needingtechnicalsolutions; calls for political will & citizen demand • Build capacities (academe, CS, media) generally – as nat. institutions, not just around WB projects; DFGG itself should be demand-driven • Great leaps forward need pretext or catalyst (scandal, polit change, discovery of oil …)

39. Lessons on Social Accountability - 2 • Don’t just develop 2-3 yr WB SAc projects • Entails working in new areas for WB: political analysis; rights law; capacities of CS, media, think tanks etc. Long term; New tools • Our projects – esp. participatory ones – can be foundaries where the new tools are forged • In time they can foster the new institutions needed for checks & balances, but need time • So we must work together in WB X-discipline (COSU, PREM, SocD etc) to innovate, iterate & learn – hence idea of the Bangkok hub.