A woman asking for improved drainage at Shama Junction, Ghana, during a Mid-Term review of the 2014-2017 District Medium-Term Development Plan. Credit: Susana Ewuakye, Friends of the Nation
Our Work
ARC works to contribute to global thinking on how to improve public accountability and build more inclusive societies. ARC partners with civil society organizations and policy reformers in the global South to contribute to research and practice in the field of transparency, participation and accountability (TPA). We also play a matchmaking role by connecting researchers and action-strategists.
Our work includes:
Action-research incubation, which is exploratory research to inform research agendas that support our partners’ strategies
Learning Exchanges, which are convenings that generate fresh insights on specific issues related to public accountability
Publications that distill knowledge, evidence, and insights to inform research and learning agendas within the TPA field
Action-research Incubation
ARC provides technical support and analytical partnership for action strategists in the global South to conduct exploratory research. We aim for these pilots to inform proposals for larger-scale research and learning initiatives.
ARC’s exploratory research is embedded within partner organizations and intended to advance their learning agendas. This collaborative approach to agenda-setting helps to ask relevant questions, which will encourage uptake of the research findings. So far, our support has focused on advice to strengthen practical approaches to policy monitoring and public information access.
The action-research approach is distinctive because it both informs, and is informed by, change strategies. Rather than being driven by a particular academic discipline or method, action research is multidisciplinary and problem-led.
Learning Exchanges
We co-convene events with our partners to exchange experiences with public accountability grounded in issue-specific change agendas. These include delivering public services, such as health, education, and water, as well as cross-cutting issues, such as gender and racial equity, human rights and peacebuilding.
Learning Exchanges aim to:
Gather experiences with accountability initiatives in the sector
Promote structured dialogue on challenges in the field
Identify future research and learning agendas relevant to action strategists
Learning Exchanges bring together researchers, analysts, and action strategists. They allow participants to delve deeply into a given issue with a diverse array of thinkers. They are also a space for sharing ideas, innovations, and perspectives between accountability researchers and issue-specific networks.
Following each event, we publish Learning Exchange Reports that capture key observations to inform future dialogue.
Accountability Working Papers
Longer presentations of original research
and/or new thinking on accountability.
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Accountability Notes
Short, focused, fresh lessons learned,
ideas for discussion, or empirical research findings.
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Learning Exchange Reports
Reports and insights from convenings of
action-strategists and researchers.
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