Briefing Paper: Policy Engagement for Poverty Reduction – How Civil Society Can Be More Effective

Court, Julius; Mendizabal, Enrique; Osbourne, David; Young, John

doi:10.1201/9781849775427-25

Cited by 6 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…It is recognised that main obstacles for CSOs in engaging in priority setting and policy making are the following: limited capacity, limited funding, and CSOs are not recognised for their importance and relevance in healthcare decision-making [ 8 ]. Furthermore, CSOs are often in competition for funding and influence, and ‘too often appear to live in parallel universes and do not engage across boundaries’ [ 8 ]. Therefore, CSOs are often not benefiting from the possible support, funding, political influence, and capacity building that are within networks [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, CSOs are often in competition for funding and influence, and ‘too often appear to live in parallel universes and do not engage across boundaries’ [ 8 ]. Therefore, CSOs are often not benefiting from the possible support, funding, political influence, and capacity building that are within networks [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To facilitate the implementation of its Framework, the Africa CDC identified engagement and collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as key. CSOs are non-governmental organisations that operate in the public domain, outside the market (economic structures) and the state (governmental structures) [ 7 ], and have a long history of promoting and transforming public health policy and services through mobilising local efforts, providing basic services, innovating service delivery, and advocating for the poorer communities [ 8 ]. To date, CSO involvement in AMR-specific activities in Africa has been limited [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Antimicrobial resistance control efforts in Africa: a survey of the role of Civil Society Organisations

Fraser

Alimi

Varma

et al. 2021

Global Health Action

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Background : Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health threat in Africa. AMR prevention and control requires coordination across multiple sectors of government and civil society partners. Objectives : To assess the current role, needs, and capacities of CSOs working in AMR in Africa. Methods : We conducted an online survey of 35 CSOs working in 37 countries across Africa. The survey asked about priorities for AMR, current AMR-specific activities, monitoring practices, training needs, and preferences for sharing information on AMR. Further data were gathered on the main roles of the organisations, the length of time engaged in and budget spent on AMR-related activities, and their involvement in the development and implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs). Results were assessed against The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance (2018–2023). Results : CSOs with AMR-related activities are working in all four areas of Africa CDC’s Framework: improving surveillance, delaying emergence, limiting transmission, and mitigating harm from infections caused by AMR microorganisms. Engagement with the four objectives is mainly through advocacy, followed by accountability and service delivery. There were limited monitoring activities reported by CSOs, with only seven (20%) providing an example metric used to monitor their activities related to AMR, and 27 (80%) CSOs reporting having no AMR-related strategy. Half the CSOs reported engaging with the development and implementation of NAPs; however, only three CSOs are aligning their work with these national strategies. Conclusion : CSOs across Africa are supporting AMR prevention and control, however, there is potential for more engagement. Africa CDC and other government agencies should support the training of CSOs in strategies to control AMR. Tailored training programmes can build knowledge of AMR, capacity for monitoring processes, and facilitate further identification of CSOs’ contribution to the AMR Framework and alignment with NAPs and regional strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Antimicrobial resistance control efforts in Africa: a survey of the role of Civil Society Organisations

Fraser

Alimi

Varma

et al. 2021

Global Health Action

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“…In Ghana, civil societies play a significant role in achieving socioeconomic development in societies (Frimpong 2017). According to Court, Mendizabal, Osborne and Young (2006), civil societies in countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ghana provide about 40% of all educational and healthcare services. Efforts of civil societies in Ghana date back to the pre-independence era, where the main objective of the societies was to protect indigenous resources and attain political independence (Frimpong 2017).…”

Section: Civil Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also act as watchdogs, holding governments accountable for the use of the country's resources, thereby preventing corruption and embezzlement of public funds. However, civil societies still have a limited impact on public policy processes and practices in developing countries (Court et al 2006). Furthermore, many civil societies are financially handicapped, which affects their activities and restrains the smooth operation of their objectives (Ghaus-Pasha 2005).…”

Section: Civil Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanisation and Urban Governance in Ghana: Identifying Key Actors and their Roles

Adade

2020

AJIMS

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The rapid increase in the urban population in Africa has created many urban challenges, including informalities, waste management problems, increased health risks, and growing urban poverty. With the unplanned spatial patterns and informalities that exist with the current urban population, this raises the question of whether African cities are ready to host more than 1.3 billion people by 2050 and still achieve urban sustainability. Using Ghana as a case study, this research undertook a critical review of urban population trends and their relation with economic growth. It identified the actors of urban governance in Ghana, as well as their roles, contributions and level of participation in urban governance processes. Findings indicate that most urban management decisions in Ghana are made by the government and exclude the non-governmental actors and citizens who bear the outcome of such decisions. This has resulted in deficiencies in actualising local needs, thus hindering the provision of urban services. The study proposes an inclusive and participatory form of urban governance with active participation of non-governmental actors and a paradigm shift from the existing urban management approaches to a more sustainable one that delivers socioeconomic benefits for more inclusive and sustainable cities in Africa in the future.

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Stakeholder engagement in the health policy process in a low income country: a qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions of the challenges to effective inclusion in Malawi

Masefield

Msosa

Chinguwo

et al. 2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background Inclusive engagement in healthcare policies and decision-making is essential to address the needs of patients and communities, reduce health inequities and increase the accountability of the government. In low income countries such as Malawi, with significant health challenges, stakeholder inclusion is particularly important to improve performance and service delivery. The 2017 National Health Plan II (NHP II) and accompanying Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSP II) aimed to improve the functioning of the healthcare system. The Ministry of Health for Malawi intended to involve all key health sector stakeholders in their development. This study explores the extent of stakeholder engagement in the health policy process through local level stakeholders’ perceptions of their involvement in the NHP II and HSSP II. Methods A qualitative study design was used. Interviews were conducted with 19 representatives of organisations operating at the local level, such as CSOs and local government. Open questions were asked about experiences and perceptions of the development of the NHP II and HSSP II. Inductive content analysis was performed. Results Stakeholders perceived barriers to inclusive and meaningful engagement in the health policy process. Five categories were identified: tokenistic involvement; stakeholder hierarchy; mutual distrust; preferred stakeholders; no culture of engagement. Conclusions Serious challenges to the meaningful and equitable engagement of local level stakeholder groups in the health policy process were identified. Issues of trust, accountability and hierarchy in donor-citizen-government relations must be addressed to support stakeholder engagement. Engagement must go beyond tokenism to embed a range of stakeholders in the process with feedback mechanisms to ensure impact from their contributions. Local level stakeholders can be empowered to advocate for and participate in consultation exercises alongside greater top-down efforts to engage stakeholders via diverse and inclusive methods. These issues are not unique to Malawi or to health policy-making.

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Briefing Paper: Policy Engagement for Poverty Reduction – How Civil Society Can Be More Effective

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Antimicrobial resistance control efforts in Africa: a survey of the role of Civil Society Organisations

Antimicrobial resistance control efforts in Africa: a survey of the role of Civil Society Organisations

Urbanisation and Urban Governance in Ghana: Identifying Key Actors and their Roles

Stakeholder engagement in the health policy process in a low income country: a qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions of the challenges to effective inclusion in Malawi

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