Demanding Good Governance: Lessons from Social Accountability Initiatives in Africa

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Table of Contents: Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Editors -- About the Contributors -- Abbreviations -- Map: Social Accountability Initiatives from Seven Selected Countries -- 1. Social Accountability in Africa: An Introduction / Carmen Malena, Mary McNeil -- 2. Participatory Budgeting in Fissel, Senegal / Bara Gueye -- 3. Civic Participation in Policy and Budgetary Processes in Ilala Municipal Council, Tanzania / Renatus Kihongo, John Lubuva -- 4. Tracking the Ghana District Assemblies Common Fund / Charles Abbey, Vitus A. Azeem, Cuthbert Baba Kuupiel -- 5. Enhancing Civil Society Capacity for Advocacy and Monitoring: Malawi's Poverty Reduction Strategy Budget / Dalitso Kingsley Kubalasa, Limbani Bartholomew Elia Nsapato -- 6. Gender-Sensitive and Child-Friendly Budgeting in Zimbabwe / Bob Libert Muchabaiwa -- 7. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and Publish What You Pay Nigeria / Dauda S. Garuba, John G. Ikubaje -- 8. Citizen Control of Public Action: The Social Watch Network in Benin / Cyrille Chabi Eteka, Anne Floquet -- 9. Social Accountability in Africa: An Analysis / Mary McNeil, Carmen Malena -- Index -- Boxes -- 1.1. Civil Society Organization Conducts Education Expenditure Tracking Surveys in Malawi -- 1.2. Citizen Report Card Roadshows in Kenya -- 1.3. Bogota Como Vamos: Citizen Evaluation of Public Services in Colombia -- 6.1. Children's Participation in Budgeting Processes -- Figures -- 1.1. Key Benefits of Social Accountability -- 2.1. The Participatory Budgeting Implementation Process in Fissel, Senegal -- 2.2. Criteria for Citizen and Council Participation in Participatory Budgeting -- Tables -- 1.1. Social Accountability Practices in the Seven Case Studies -- 1. A.1. Case Study Characteristics -- 2.1. PM&E Criteria Identified by the Learning Group -- 2.2. Fissel Priority Action Matrix (2004 Budget) -- 2. A.1. Criteria for the Decision-Making Process in the Fissel Rural Council -- 3.1. Comparison of Service Levels between Ilala and Tanzania, Fy2000/01 -- 4.1. Disbursements to DACF, 1999-2002 -- 9.1. Aspects of Enabling and Disabling Environments for Social Accountability in Africa: Case Study Evidence -- 9.2. Challenges for Social Accountability in Africa: Case Study Evidence -- 9.3. Success Factors for Social Accountability in Africa: Case Study Evidence -- 9.4. Lessons Learned about Social Accountability in Africa: Case Study Evidence. Publisher Marketing: Social accountability refers to the wide range of citizen actions to hold the state to account, as well as actions on the part of government, media, and other actors that promote or facilitate these efforts. Social accountability strategies and tools help empower ordinary citizens to exercise their inherent rights to hold governments accountable for the use of public funds and how they exercise authority. This book explains what social accountability means in the African context, distilling some common success factors and lessons that can help other practitioners and innovators in the field. Review Citations: Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2010 pg. 149 (EAN 9780821383803, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  McNeil, Mary Mary McNeil is an acquisitions editor for Cook Communications Ministries. She has been acquiring, editing, and developing children's books for almost five years. Rocket Readers are her first published works. She lives in Colorado Springs with her four children. Heather Gemmen is a children's author, public speaker, and senior editor with Cook Communications Ministries. She is the author of the Tough Stuff for Kids series. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband Steve and their four children. Contributor Bio:  Malena, Carmen Carmen Malena works as an independent consultant and part-time director of the CIVICUS Participatory Governance Programme from her base in Quebec City, Canada. She is a political sociologist, with special interest in the areas of civil society, participatory governance, social accountability, and gender. She holds an MPhil in International Development from Sussex University, UK and a BA in Political Studies. Carmen has more than twenty years experience as a development practitioner, researcher, writer, and trainer. She has published a wide range of academic articles and operational papers and manuals. She has held positions as a civil society and participation specialist at the World Bank and the African Development Bank and has worked for a range of multilateral and bilateral donors and NGOs.