School of International Service · American University
Bridging research and frontline perspectives.
The Accountability Research Center (ARC) partners with civil society strategists, policy reformers, and researchers. We co-design action research that informs strategies for upholding and improving public and corporate accountability.
Community members displaced by an aid-funded industrial park in Haiti meet with local and international NGO staff to prepare their case for remedy. An Accountability Note documents their struggle and draws out lessons for others seeking redress for harm done by development projects. Credit: Accountability Counsel
Mitanin community health workers in Chhattisgarh, India—seen here entering a local government building—are a bridge between community members and local public health services. Their action research looks at patterns of autonomous collective action on multiple issues beyond health. Credit: Rupesh Yadav
Indigenous health rights defenders in Guatemala share information on the right to health with community members, as part of their multi-level work to advocate for equitable access of the indigenous rural population to public health services. Credit: CEGSS
Members of Multiply-Ed, a citizen-led education monitoring initiative in the Philippines, have at multiple levels to influence education policy in many spaces, including by developing a shared agenda with a legislative oversight committee. Credit: Multiply-Ed
Migrant fishers and their union give their input to the revision of a law on the protection of migrant workers in Indonesia. The growth of fisher organizations like these is subject of a six-country study published in five languages. Credit: SBMI
In Colombia’s Pacific region, members of the Community Council of the San Juan River Region (ACADESAN) have launched Acadesan Radio, a space for gathering, education, and raising awareness, “where the spoken word travels down the river and connects the region with the country and the world, strengthening cultural, social, and territorial defense efforts.” Credit: ACADESAN
Smallholder farmers in the state of Guerrero, Mexico formed the Network of Ejido and Communal Commissioners and carried out a participatory, statewide monitoring and advocacy campaign to improve government implementation of a fertilizer program. Lessons from their advocacy are documented in an Accountability Note. Credit: Carlos García Jiménez
Featured
Accountability Note September 2026
Upon these Terrible Ruins: Social Participation and Participatory Institutions in Brazil During Lula’s Third Adminstration
Brazil institutionalized participation during the 1990s and 2000s, becoming seen internationally as a vast laboratory for participatory innovation and the possibilities of its institutionalization. But Jair Bolsonaro’s government made strong efforts to dismantle participatory institutions, leading to a widespread perception that the participatory model had failed. This Accountability Note examines the fate of participatory institutions under the subsequent government, Lula’s third.
Adrian Gurza Lavalle and José Szwako
Latest
Accountability Working Paper
Governing Childbirth: Imbalanced Participation and Debate in the Creation of a Public Policy on Midwifery in Mexico
Graciela Freyermuth Enciso and Hilda E. Argüello Avendaño · August 2026
Accountability Keywords Blog
Counterweights from Below: Mexican Fishing Cooperatives and Public Policy
Jose Luis Carrillo Galaz and Lorena Ortiz · July 2026
Partnerships
Partnerships are the core of ARC’s approach. Our partners are directly engaged in organizing citizens and reforming policy to transform governance and build more inclusive societies.
Work
ARC engages with partners working on accountability issues in many sectors and places. Our co-designed research is relevant for their strategies, and also contributes to international debates on accountability.
Publications
ARC publications enable practitioners and researchers to share grounded experiences and analytical insights to inform action, learning, and research about transparency, participation, and accountability.