Governance, Voice and Accountability

With ODI’s Politics and Governance team, we work on the linkages between the promotion of rights at the domestic level and improved governance. We focus on the relationship between the state and its people, with a particular focus on the most marginalised and excluded. In particular, we investigate the extent to which individuals’ capacity to express their views and to claim their rights enhances government accountability. Our work focuses on:

• rights-based frameworks and indicators to assess the quality of governance, including the World Governance Assessment project;
• analytical frameworks for assessing voice and accountability;
• right to information, the media and freedom of expression; and
• the legal, policy and institutional challenges of illegal logging.

This project examines the relationship between the state and its people, in particular the relationship between citizens’ capacity to express their voices and claim their rights and government accountability. The aim is to design a common framework for evaluating the effect of development aid for strengthening Citizen’s Voice and Accountability. The first phase will involve a literature review and an analysis of donors‘ approaches and interventions and the development of an evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of these on voice and accountability, governance and aid effectiveness. This framework will then be applied to various country case studies contributing to an overview evaluation report. This work is sponsored by the DAC Evaluation Core Group composed by DFID, NORAD, SIDA, SDC, DCGD, BMZ and DANIDA.

Resources
For all resources see Project webpage

Corruption, Anti-Corruption Efforts and Aid: have we got the right approach?
From January 2007
Tammie O'Neil (main contact) and Verena Fritz

This project focuses specifically on the issue of corruption considering both underlying causes (such as neo-patrimonialism and donor support for anti-corruption efforts) which are related to donor support for democratisation. This desk study is part of a larger governance project for DCI.

Corruption poses multiple challenges in the context of governance and aid modalities. The prevalence of corruption in developing countries is a major source of concern with regard to aid for the public in donor countries. Furthermore, the prevalence of corruption has implications for aid effectiveness. Donor agencies and international NGOs have become more active on combating corruption as an important element of their work on improving governance. However, there is still a search for improving approaches to reducing corruption. The project is funded by Development Co-operation Ireland (DCI)

This project provides policy advice to senior policy makers and support to legal drafting. It aims at more equitable allocation of forest lands, the re-designation of commercial concessions and the grant of community forest management rights. The project supports a growing consensus (both in Papua and other parts of Melanesia) that, far from constituting an obstacle to growth, mechanisms for the delineation, registration and enforcement of customary tenure are essential for long-term poverty reduction and security of investment.

Governance, Development and Aid Effectiveness: A Quick Guide to Complex Relationships
March 2006
Julius Court

The relationship between governance and development has risen up the international policy agenda. There is widespread agreement that governance matters - intrinsically and for improvements in economic and social outcomes. But what exactly is 'good governance'? When, why and how do governance issues make a difference to the way countries develop? What are the priorities for poor countries? Why does governance matter for aid effectiveness and what can donors do? This ODI Briefing Paper provides a synthesis of thinking on governance, development and aid effectiveness.

Resources
Download the briefing paper