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.

SSAAT team verifying worker job card information with official labor list entires, prior to social audit.
Photo credit: SSAAT

Shrinking Civic Space: How Can the World Bank Respond?
Date: October 2022
Authors: Rachel Nadelman, Christian Donaldson, Katelyn Gallagher
Publication type: Blog
Published by: Oxfam International
Civic Space: The Missing Element in the World Bank’s Country Engagement Approach
Date: October 2022
Authors: Christian Donaldson, Katelyn Gallagher, Rachel Nadelman
Publication type: Joint Agencies Briefing Paper
Published by: Oxfam
Multi-Level Change Strategies for Health: Learning from People-Centred Advocacy in Uganda
Date: September 2022
Authors: Angela Bailey and Vincent Mujune
Publication type: Scholarly journal article
Published by: International Journal for Equity in Health
Pitfalls of “Slippery Indicators”: The Importance of Reading Between the Lines
Date: August 2022
Authors: Julia Fischer-Mackey and Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Scholarly journal article
Published by: Development in Practice
HIV/AIDS Policy in Brazil: State/Society Partnerships in an ‘Island of Excellence’
Date: July 2022
Authors: Jessica Rich
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Reseach Center
Delivering Collective Afrodescendant Land Rights: Mutual Empowerment in Colombian State-Society Coalitions 1995-2003
Date: July 2022
Authors: Helmer Quiñones, Noah Rosen, Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
‘Square-Rule Paper Engineers’: People, Power, and Participation in Sri Lanka’s Million Houses Programme
Date: July 2022
Authors: Asha L. Abeyasekera and Vagisha Gunasekeara
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
‘Constructive Accountability’: Sandwich Strategy for Textbook Delivery in the Philippines
Date: July 2022
Authors: Joy Aceron
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Economic Accountability and Pro-Poor Forest Sector Reforms
Date: July 2022
Authors: David Barton Bray
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Enabling Collective Action for Transparency and Accountability through the District Health System in Enugu State
Date: July 2022
Authors: Chijioke Kelechi Iwuamadi and Rowland Chukwuma Okoli
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Reforming Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission
Date: July 2022
Authors: Okechukwu Ibeanu
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Anti-Domestic Violence Policy in Bangladesh: Did Voice Trigger Teeth?
Date: July 2022
Authors: Sohela Nazneen
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Akasa Afaifai: Improving Accountability in the Budget Implementation Process: A Case Study from Kano
Date: July 2022
Authors: Y.Z. Ya’u
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
The Sandwich Strategy: Opening from Above Meets Mobilization from Below in Monitoring the Ogun State Home-Grown School Feeding Program
Date: July 2022
Authors: Oladeji Olaore
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Jointly Promoting Accountability in Health Care: Strategic Alliances Between Citizen Monitors and the Human Rights Ombuds Office in Southern Peru
Date: July 2022
Authors: Jeannie Samuel and Ariel Frisancho
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
State-led Social Audits: Enabling Citizen Oversight in India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Program
Date: July 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Agents of Change Beyond Healthcare: Lessons from the Mitanin Program in India
Date: July 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
State Actors and MST Activists Reforming Rural Education
Date: July 2022
Authors: Rebecca Tarlau
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Enabling Powershifts: KALAHI in the Philippines
Date: July 2022
Authors: Joy Aceron
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
The Mixed Legacies of Bolivia’s 1994 Law of Popular Participation
Date: July 2022
Authors: Robert Albro
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Third Party Monitoring of National Social Investment Programs in Nigeria – An Uncommon Opening from Above
Date: July 2022
Authors: Oladeji Olaore
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Pakistan’s National Commission on the Status of Women: A Sandwich Strategy Initiative
Date: May 2021
Authors: Ayesha Khan
Publication type: Case study
Published by: Collective for Social Science Research and Accountability Research Center
A cinco años de la implementación del Capítulo Étnico del Acuerdo de Paz en Colombia: Un balance independiente
Date: July 2022
Authors: Helmer Eduardo Quiñones Mendoza
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
The Ethnic Chapter of Colombia’s Peace Agreement Five Years On: An Independent Assessment
Date: July 2022
Authors: Helmer Eduardo Quiñones Mendoza
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Accountability and Responsiveness in Managing Covid-19 in Bangladesh
Date: May 2022
Authors: Shuvra Chowdhury and Naomi Hossain
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Institute of Development Studies
Grievance Redress Mechanisms in the Public Sector: A Literature Review
Date: May 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande and Naomi Hossain
Publication type: Literature Review
Published by: Open Government Partnership and Accountability Research Center
Social Audits in Service Delivery: An Annotated Bibliography
Date: May 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Annotated Bibliography
Published by: Open Government Partnership and Accountability Research Center
Seeing the Combined Effects of Aid Programmes
Date: May 2022
Authors: Richard Burge, Rachel Nadelman, Rosemary McGee, Jonathan Fox and Colin Anderson
Publication type: Policy Brief
Published by: Institute of Development Studies
Workers, Not Warriors: Four Lessons from Health Worker Protests during COVID-19
Date: May 2022
Authors: Veena Sriram and Sorcha A. Brophy
Publication type: Blog
Published by: The Conversation
Fighting Corruption Through Social Audits in India: How Far Can Voice Get Without Teeth?
Date: April 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande and Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Blog
Published by: The Global Anticorruption Blog
Heroes on Strike: Trends in Global Health Worker Protests During COVID-19
Date: April 2022
Authors: Sorcha A. Brophy, Veena Sriram, Haotian Zong, Chloei Andres, Maria Paz Mawyin, and Narayanan GL
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
What counts as ‘accountability’ – and who decides?
Date: March 2022
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Blog
Published by: From Poverty to Power (Oxfam)
Accountability Keywords
Date: January 2022
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center
El control social en Colombia: Un balance sobre las veedurías ciudadanas
Date: enero 2022
Authors: Mariana Cepeda Villarreal
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center and Justicia Racial
Towards Effective and Inclusive Grievance Redress Mechanisms in Education
Date: January 2022
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Blog
Published by: UNESCO ETICO
Governing COVID-19 in Bangladesh: Realities and Reflections to Build Forward Better
Date: September 2021
Authors: Dr Mirza Hassan, Dr Naomi Hossain, Sirajul Islam, Rafsanul Hoque, Insiya Khan, Syeda Salina Aziz, Avia Nahreen, Md. Mahan Ul Hoque, Dr S. R. Osmani, Dr M. S. H. Siddiquee, Maheen Sultan, Iffat Jahan Antara, Dr Shahaduz Zaman, Faruq Hossain, and Dr Imran Matin
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: BRAC Institute of Governance & Development and Accountability Research Center
Demanding Power: Do Protests Empower Citizens to Hold Governments Accountable over Energy?
Date: September 2021
Authors: Naomi Hossain, John Agbonifo, Martin Atela, John Gaventa, Euclides Gonçalves, Umair Javed, Neil McCulloch, Davide Natalini, Marjoke Oosterom, Ayobami Ojebode and Alex Shankland
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Institute of Development Studies
The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Hunger and Poverty in the Global South
Date: July 2021
Authors: Naomi Hossain and Marjoke Oosterom
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: Global Policy
Bottom-Up Accountability in Uganda: Learning from People-centered, Multi-level Health Advocacy Campaigns
Date: June 2021
Authors: Angela Bailey and Vincent Mujune
Publication type: Brief
Published by: Accountability Research Center
How Do World Bank Staff Perceive the Institutional Environment for Building Citizen Engagement into Projects?
Date: June 2021
Authors: Rachel Nadelman
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Citizen Participation in Auditing in Latin America: The Future Agenda
Date: April 2021
Authors: Marcos Mendiburu
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Accountability Research Center, ControlaTuGoberino, Fundar, Oxfam Mexico, Auditoria Superior de la Federacion, Communidad PIRC, Red por la Rendicion de Cuentas
Action Research Collaboration on Multi-Level Accountability Politics: The ‘Different’ that Makes a Difference
Date: April 2021
Authors: Joy Aceron
Publication type: Blog
Published by: Transparency & Accountability Initiative (TAI)
Bottom-up Accountability in Uganda: Learning from People-centered, Multi-level Health Advocacy Campaigns
Date: February 2021
Authors: Angela Bailey and Vincent Mujune, with a preface by Prima Kazoora
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Picturing Accountability
Date: January 2021
Authors: Naomi Hossain and Ismail Ferduos
Publication type: Blog
Published by: Transparency & Accountability Initiative (TAI)
The Moral and Political Economy of the Pandemic in Bangladesh: Weak States and Strong Societies During Covid-19
Date: January 2021
Authors: Tariq Omar Ali, Mirza Hassan, and Naomi Hossain
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: World Development
Picturing Accountability: What We Learned from the Photography of the Rana Plaza Disaster
Date: December 2020
Authors: Ismail Ferdous and Naomi Hossain
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Voices from the Pandemic Frontlines: Health Worker Protests and Proposals from 84 Countries
Date: October 2020
Authors: Jennifer Johnson
Publication type: Blog
Published by: From Poverty to Power (Oxfam)
From Peoples' Struggles to Public Policy: The Institutionalization of the Bhilwara Framework of Social Accountability in India
Date: October 2020
Authors: Rakshita Swamy, with a preface by Aruna Roy
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Contested Terrain: International Development Projects and Countervailing Power for the Excluded
Date: September 2020
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: World Development
Making COVID Social Protection Accountable to India’s Vulnerable Citizens
Date: August 2020
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Blog
Published by: From Poverty to Power (Oxfam)
Citizen Participation in Latin America’s Supreme Audit Institutions: Progress or Impasse?
Date: August 2020
Authors: Marcos Mendiburu
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center and Controla Tu Gobierno
Rural Public Health Systems and Accountability Politics: Insights from Grassroots Health Rights Defenders in Guatemala
Date: May 2020
Authors: Julia Fischer-Mackey, Benilda Batzin, Paulina Culum & Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: The Journal of Peasant Studies
Defendiendo el derecho a la salud en Guatemala: Reflexiones de dos indígenas de primera línea
Date: Mayo 2020
Authors: Benilda Batzin, Paulina Culum, Julia Fischer-Mackey
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center, CEGSS, REDC-Salud
Defending the Right to Health in Guatemala: Reflections of Two Indigenous Women on the Frontlines
Date: April 2020
Authors: Benilda Batzin, Paulina Culum, Julia Fischer-Mackey
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center, CEGSS, REDC-Salud
How Do Donor-led Empowerment and Accountability Activities Take Scale into Account? Evidence from DFID Programmes in Contexts of Fragility, Conflict and Violence
Date: April 2020
Authors: Colin Anderson, Jonathan Fox, John Gaventa
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Action for Empowerment and Accountability, Accountability Research Center, Institute for Development Studies
¿Cómo se comprometen los proyectos del Banco Mundial con la participación ciudadana?
Date: marzo 2020
Authors: Rachel Nadelman (traducción por Mariana Cepeda)
Publication type: Policy Brief
Published by: Institute for Development Studies, Action for Empowerment and Accountability, Accountability Research Center
How Do World Bank Projects Commit to Citizen Engagement?
Date: March 2020
Authors: Rachel Nadelman
Publication type: Policy Brief
Published by: Institute for Development Studies, Action for Empowerment and Accountability, Accountability Research Center
The Women of Caltongo Who Opened the Government’s Doors: Social Accountability at the Edge of Mexico City
Date: December 2019
Authors: Daniela Rea with photos by Mónica González
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Periodistas de a Pie, Pie de Página, ControlaTuGobierno and Accountability Research Center
Educational Accountability or Social Accountability in Education? Similarities, Tensions, and Differences
Date: November 2019
Authors: Felipe J. Hevia and Samana Vergara-Lope
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes and Accountability Research Center
¿Accountability educativo o accountability social en educación? Semejanzas, tensiones y diferencias
Date: Noviembre 2019
Authors: Felipe J. Hevia y Samana Vergara-Lope
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes y Accountability Research Center
Membangun Gerakan Untuk Akuntabilitas: Belajar dari Pengorganisasian Perempuan Indonesia
Date: Juli 2019
Authors: Nani Zulminarni, Valerie Miller, Alexa Bradley, Angela Bailey, and Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Just Associates, and PEKKA
How Can a Rethink of Lessons from Field Experiments Inform Future Research in Transparency, Participation and Accountability?
Date: May 29, 2019
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Blog
Published by: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
Setting the Stage for Increased Accountability: The White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria Campaign to Improve Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Niger State
Date: May 2019
Authors: Rachel Sullivan Robinson
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center and White Ribbon Alliance
Pitfalls of Aiming to Empower the Bottom from the Top: The Case of Philippine Participatory Budgeting
Date: April 2019
Authors: Joy Aceron
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: G-Watch and Accountability Research Center
How Does the World Bank Build Citizen Engagement Commitments into Project Design? Results from Pilot Assessments in Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Pakistan
Date: April 2019
Authors: Rachel Nadelman, Ha Le and Anjali Sah
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Institute of Development Studies
Experiencias y desafíos ciudadanos para instituir la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en gobiernos locales del sur de México
Date: Febrero 2019
Authors: Carlos García Jiménez
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Unicam-Sur and Accountability Research Center
Citizen Experiences and Challenges in Bringing Transparency and Accountability to Local Governments in Southern Mexico
Date: February 2019
Authors: Carlos García Jiménez
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Unicam-Sur and Accountability Research Center
स्थाई बदलाव के लिए सीखने की रणनीति की भूमिका: भारत में मितानिन सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य कार्यकर्तायों द्वारा सावर्जनिक उत्तरदायित्व को बढाने पर कार्य
Date: दिसंबर 2018
Authors: समीर गर्ग और शुचि पांडे
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: जवाबदेही अनुसंधान केंद्र
Movement-building for Accountability: Learning from Indonesian Women’s Organizing
Date: October 2018
Authors: Nani Zulminarni, Valerie Miller, Alexa Bradley, Angela Bailey, and Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Just Associates, and PEKKA
Learning to Sustain Change: Mitanin Community Health Workers Promote Public Accountability in India
Date: August 2018
Authors: Samir Garg and Suchi Pande
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Going Vertical: Citizen-led Reform Campaigns in the Philippines
Date: 2018
Authors: Joy Aceron (Editor)
Publication type: Book
Published by: Government Watch, Accountability Research Center
How a Community-Led Response to Sexual Exploitation in Uganda Led to Systemic World Bank Reform
Date: June 2018
Authors: Elana Berger
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Bank Information Center
Community Health Workers and Accountability: Reflections from an International “Think-in”
Date: May 2018
Authors: Marta Schaaf, Jonathan Fox, Stephanie M. Topp, Caitlin Warthin, Lynn P. Freedman, Rachel Sullivan Robinson, Sundararaman Thiagarajan, Kerry Scott, Thoko Maboe, Margareth Zanchetta, Ana Lorena Ruano, Maryse Kok and Svea Closser
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: International Journal for Equity in Health
La escala: Su importancia y uso en iniciativas de transparencia y rendición de cuentas
Date: Mayo 2018
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Other
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Making All Voices Count
First Meeting of Auxiliary Watershed Organizations: Good Practices, Limitations, Lessons, and Prospects
Date: May 2018
Authors: Brenda Rodríguez Hererra, Rebeca Salazar Ramírez and Mariana González Moyo
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Controla Tu Gobierno
The Political Construction of Accountability Keywords
Date: March 2018
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: Institute of Development Studies
Lecciones sobre acción ciudadana y rendición de cuentas en los servicios públicos de salud de Guatemala
Date: Febrero 2018
Authors: Walter Flores
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center, CEGSS
How Can Evidence Bolster Citizen Action? Learning and Adapting for Accountable Public Health in Guatemala
Date: February 2018
Authors: Walter Flores
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center, CEGSS
Report on the Think-in on Community Health Worker Voice, Power, and Citizens’ Right to Health
Date: January 2018
Authors: Marta Schaaf, Caitlin Warthin, Amy Manning, and Stephanie Topp
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Accountability Research Center and Averting Maternal Death and Disability
From the Ground Up: Multi-Level Accountability Politics in Land Reform in the Philippines
Date: December 2017
Authors: Francis Isaac, Danilo Carranza, Joy Aceron
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center, G-Watch and RIGHTS
Following the Money in Ghana: From the Grassroots to the Hallways of the IMF
Date: December 2017
Authors: Abdulkarim Mohammed
Publication type: Accountability Note
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Citizen Oversight and India’s Right to Work Program: What Do the Social Auditors Say?
Date: September 2017
Authors: Suchi Pande, Rakesh R. Dubbudu
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Accountability Research Center, Factly
Citizen Action Against Corruption
Date: September 2017
Authors: Joy Aceron, Angela Bailey, Shaazka Beyerle, Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Accountability Research Center
Transparency and Accountability Strategies & Reproductive Health Delivery Systems
Date: September 2017
Authors: Victoria Boydell, Jonathan Fox, Sarah Shaw
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Accountability Research Center, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition
Construyendo la rendición de cuentas de manera diferente: Una propuesta para la integración vertical del monitoreo y la incidencia pública
Date: Febrero 2017
Authors: Jonathan Fox, Joy Aceron, and Aránzazu Guillán Montero
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: U4 and Accountability Research Center
Scaling Accountability Through Vertically Integrated Civil Society Policy Monitoring and Advocacy
Date: December 2016
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Making All Voices Count, Accountability Research Center
Going Vertical: Citizen-led Reform Campaigns in the Philippines
Date: December 2016
Authors: Joy Aceron and Francis Isaac
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Making All Voices Count, Government Watch, and Accountabilty Research Center
Doing Accountability Differently. A Proposal for the Vertical Integration of Civil Society Monitoring and Advocacy.
Date: August 2016
Authors: Jonathan Fox, Joy Aceron, Aránzazu Guillán Montero
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: U4, ARC
Connecting the Dots for Accountability: Civil Society Policy Monitoring and Advocacy Strategies
Date: February 2016
Authors: Jonathan Fox (editor), Brendan Halloran (editor), Anna Levy, Joy Aceron, Albert van Zyl
Publication type: Learning Exchange Report
Published by: Transparency and Accountability Initiative, School of International Service, International Budget Partnership, Government Watch, SIMLab
Assessing the Evidence: The Effectiveness and Impact of Public Governance-Oriented Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
Date: September 2015
Authors: Brandon Brockmyer, Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Transparency and Accountability Initiative, ARC
Dying for information: Right to information and whistleblower protection in India
Date: March 2015
Authors: Suchi Pande
Publication type: Brief
Published by: U4
Social Accountability: What Does the Evidence Really Say?
Date: March 2015
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Scholarly Journal Article
Published by: World Development
Social accountability: What does the evidence really say?
Date: September 2014
Authors: Jonathan Fox
Publication type: Working Paper
Published by: Global Partnership for Social Accountability