New Directions in Theorising Social Accountability?

Jayal, Niraja Gopal

doi:10.1111/j.1759-5436.2007.tb00425.x

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Access to information via transparency initiatives is seen as a right, an end in itself (Jayal, 2008) and also a 'leverage right' capable of delivering further ends (Calland and Bentley, this volume). Increased transparency in state 6.…”

Section: Aims Claims and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

Gaventa

McGee

2013

Development Policy Review

243

170

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Section: Aims Claims and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

Gaventa

McGee

2013

Development Policy Review

243

170

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“…However, the state machinery leading from the exercise of this right to the effective redress of public grievances -those actions beyond the procedural provision of information and citizens' use of it -is under-researched as yet (Jayal 2008).  Increased transparency in state decision-making can facilitate greater accountability to citizens: While transparency is instrumental to achieving higher standards of accountability, two misconceptions about their relationship are common.…”

Section: Access To Information (Via Transparency Initiatives) Is a Rimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Access To Information (Via Transparency Initiatives) Is a Rimentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Increased transparency in state decision-making can facilitate greater accountability to citizens: While transparency is instrumental to achieving higher standards of accountability, two misconceptions about their relationship are common. The right to information is often mistaken for accountability itself, rather than understood as an instrument for the broader goal of securing accountable governance (Jayal 2008 Finally, some of the claims made for TAIs focus on the relationships between transparency, accountability and participation. A few sources shed light from an empirical perspective on how one contributes to the other, but these are scant: most analytical and practical work addressing these approaches remains in silos.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shifting Power? Assessing the Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

McGee¹,

Gaventa²

2011

IDS Working Papers

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Summary Accountability and transparency initiatives have taken democratisation, governance, aid and development circles by storm since the turn of the century. Many actors involved with them – as donors, funders, programme managers, implementers and researchers – are now keen to know more about what these initiatives are achieving. This paper arises from a review of the impact and effectiveness of transparency and accountability initiatives which gathered and analysed existing evidence, discussed how it could be improved, and evaluated how impact and effectiveness could be enhanced. This paper takes the discussion further, by delving into what lies behind the methodological and evaluative debates currently surrounding governance and accountability work. It illustrates how choices about methods are made in the context of impact assessment designs driven by different objectives and different ideological and epistemological underpinnings. We argue that these differences are articulated as methodological debates, obscuring vital issues underlying accountability work, which are about power and politics, not methodological technicalities. In line with this argument, there is a need to re‐think what impact means in relation to accountability initiatives, and to governance and social change efforts more broadly. This represents a serious challenge to the prevailing impact paradigm, posed by the realities of unaccountable governance, unproven accountability programming and uncertain evidence of impact. A learning approach to evaluation and final impact assessment would give power and politics a central place in monitoring and evaluation systems, continually test and revise assumptions about theories of change and ensure the engagement of marginalised people in assessment processes. Such an approach is essential if donors and policy makers are to develop a reliable evidence base to demonstrate that transparency and accountability work is of real value to poor and vulnerable people.

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“… Access to information (via transparency initiatives) is a right: As such it is an end in itself, and also a 'leverage right' capable of delivering further ends. However, the state machinery leading from the exercise of this right to the effective redress of public grievances -those actions beyond the procedural provision of information and citizens' rote use of it -is under-researched as yet (Jayal 2008).  Increased transparency in state decision-making can facilitate greater accountability to citizens: While transparency is instrumental to achieving higher standards of accountability, two misconceptions about their relationship are common.…”

Section: Aims Claims Assumption and Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annex 3: Freedom of Information – Review of Impact and Effectiveness of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

Calland¹

2010

SSRN Journal

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New Directions in Theorising Social Accountability?

Cited by 25 publications

References 3 publications

The Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

The Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

Shifting Power? Assessing the Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

Annex 3: Freedom of Information – Review of Impact and Effectiveness of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives

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