Social Accountability Cluster - SDV Unpacking ‘Context Matters’ The links between State Action, Citizen Action and Information WORK IN PROGRESS March 2014, Jakarta, TA Learn Conference Helene Grandvoinnet, SDV Anuradha Joshi, IDS Social Development Department The World Bank 1
Outline I. What are the knowledge gaps II. Our approach III. Unpacking the Black Box IV. What practical use is this approach? (an example from Sierra Leone) 2
Starting Point: Knowledge gaps Lack of clarity around the notion of SA Evidence is incomplete or mixed — incomparable interventions, varied contexts, contradictory outcomes Need understanding on how and under what circumstances various processes that are part of SA might lead to various outcomes. Need for unearthing underlying assumptions of SA interventions 3
Different Approaches Two slightly different complementary approaches: Build the Evidence Base: Multi-method, robust, long term, comparative research on the impacts of SA in different contexts (e.g. the T4D project) Reorganize the existing evidence: Aggregate the existing evidence base in a new way — unpacking assumptions and developing causal chains (World Bank Flagship) 4
Our Approach SA as part of a long term ongoing political engagement by social actors with the state SA can have a range of outcomes of interest Causal chains can help highlight the different potential pathways towards reaching impacts A means of organizing evidence, a framework for understanding critical aspects of context, helping develop a theory of change and enabling revisions as work evolves 5
• The Aim Look at different entry points Better assessing the level of ambition on “What can be changed by SA interventions in a local context” Developing a more relevant “Theory of Change” and pointers for a M&E framework 6
Unpacking the Black Box Unpack SA into its constitutive elements Unpack drivers for each SA element Provide guiding questions for practitioners to assess drivers for a specific issue/problem Summarize evidence on enabling/constraining factors Highlight inconsistencies from evidence Suggest mitigating actions 7
SA components and their relations INFORMATION CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE STATE CITIZEN ACTION ACTION 8
Ex post assessment INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE Path Dependency of existing structures & state- society relations Existence of interface platform(s) STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION Awareness of interface platform(s) Awareness on the Problem Awareness of the Problem Credibility and Accessibility of interface Ability to resolve the Problem platform(s) Salience of the Problem Organizational capacity (within state or Efficacy ( Perception of citizen agency to third-party) to enforce state bring change ) accountability Capacity for collective action (as Intrinsic motivation driving state action individuals, as groups or organizations) Incentives/costs linked to (in)action Intrinsic motivation Official attitudes towards engaging with Incentives/costs linked to (in)action civil society demands or voice Level of complexity of state action 9
Unpacking contextual drivers of SA elements INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION 10
Unpacking contextual drivers of SA elements INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION Awareness of the Problem Salience of the Problem Efficacy ( Perception of citizen agency to bring change ) Capacity for collective action (as individuals, as groups or organizations) Intrinsic motivation Incentives/costs linked to (in)action 11
Unpacking contextual drivers of SA elements INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE Path Dependency of existing structures & state- society relations Existence of interface platform(s) STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION Awareness of interface platform(s) Awareness of the Problem Credibility and Accessibility of interface platform(s) Salience of the Problem Efficacy ( Perception of citizen agency to bring change ) Capacity for collective action (as individuals, as groups or organizations) Intrinsic motivation Incentives/costs linked to (in)action 12
Unpacking contextual drivers of SA elements INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE Path Dependency of existing structures & state- society relations Existence of interface platform(s) STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION Awareness of interface platform(s) Awareness on the Problem Awareness of the Problem Credibility and Accessibility of interface Ability to resolve the Problem platform(s) Salience of the Problem Organizational capacity (within state or Efficacy ( Perception of citizen agency to third-party) to enforce state bring change ) accountability Capacity for collective action (as Intrinsic motivation driving state action individuals, as groups or organizations) Incentives/costs linked to (in)action Intrinsic motivation Official attitudes towards engaging with Incentives/costs linked to (in)action civil society demands or voice Level of complexity of state action 13
Show table. 14
Caveats Very Much Work in Progress Need to incorporate heterogeneity of state and citizens to show distributional issues and pro/anti accountability coalitions Need closer look at the role of intermediaries Need to include some weight/directionality to drivers Need to depict the iterative nature of accountability work 15
Sierra Leone example The problem: • Ongoing work to improve human development – 180/187 on 2013 Human Development Index. Among highest maternal and under-five mortality rates in country • Health services breakdown at level of primary care centers : • Improper user fees • Absent nurses/nurses with poor relations with community • Up to 30% of drugs disappear The intervention: • Build off of successful Uganda CSC model; add in community-level commitments to help improve health (rather than solely nurse commitments); build in increased attention to educating citizens and nurses on entitlements under Free Health Care initiative • Allows for iterative approaches to solving local health problems and course-correction mid-stream 16
Ex post assessment INFORMATION Accessibility to citizens Salience (to drive citizen action, to drive state action) Trustworthiness (for citizens , for state officials) Consistency/Novelty Information on existence & accessibility of the interface Information strengthening credibility of interface CITIZEN-STATE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE Path Dependency of existing structures & state- society relations Existence of interface platform(s) STATE ACTION CITIZEN ACTION Awareness of interface platform(s) Awareness on the Problem Awareness of the Problem Credibility and Accessibility of interface Ability to resolve the Problem platform(s) Salience of the Problem Organizational capacity (within state or Efficacy ( Perception of citizen agency to third-party) to enforce state bring change ) accountability Capacity for collective action (as Intrinsic motivation driving state action individuals, as groups or organizations) Incentives/costs linked to (in)action Intrinsic motivation Official attitudes towards engaging with Incentives/costs linked to (in)action civil society demands or voice Level of complexity of state action 17
Thanks and we look forward to your comments! 18
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