Impact pathways of a participatory local governance initiative in Uganda: a qualitative exploration

Abstract

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides evidence-based policy solutions to sustainably end hunger and malnutrition and reduce poverty. The Institute conducts research, communicates results, optimizes partnerships, and builds capacity to ensure sustainable food production, promote healthy food systems, improve markets and trade, transform agriculture, build resilience, and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is considered in all of the Institute's work. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world, including development implementers, public institutions, the private sector, and farmers' organizations, to ensure that local, national, regional, and global food policies are based on evidence.

Primed, but not engaged: the poor performance of self-efficacy primes in promoting civic engagement, in a laboratory experiment in Uganda

“…One important means of civic engagement is barazas, or community meetings. The Ugandan government has run a formalised program of such meetings since 2009, which explicitly aims to "enhance public involvement in holding the government accountable for service delivery in relation to the resources spent" (Van Campenhout et al, 2018), but they have a much longer history as a mechanism of communication between authorities and other people across East Africa (Haugerud, 1997). They are frequently organised by civil society organisations (CSOs) across Uganda (Van Campenhout et al, 2018).…”

“…The Ugandan government has run a formalised program of such meetings since 2009, which explicitly aims to "enhance public involvement in holding the government accountable for service delivery in relation to the resources spent" (Van Campenhout et al, 2018), but they have a much longer history as a mechanism of communication between authorities and other people across East Africa (Haugerud, 1997). They are frequently organised by civil society organisations (CSOs) across Uganda (Van Campenhout et al, 2018). Many stakeholders offered examples of barazas having had impact in a qualitative study (Van Campenhout et al, 2018), but they are not widely publicised; Kabunga et al (2016) found that just 10% of respondents were aware of any public service-related meetings in their area.…”

“…They are frequently organised by civil society organisations (CSOs) across Uganda (Van Campenhout et al, 2018). Many stakeholders offered examples of barazas having had impact in a qualitative study (Van Campenhout et al, 2018), but they are not widely publicised; Kabunga et al (2016) found that just 10% of respondents were aware of any public service-related meetings in their area.…”

“…There have now been many efforts in Uganda to encourage people to be politically or prepolitically engaged (Van Campenhout et al, 2018;Grossman et al, 2018;Grossman et al, 2017;Grossman et al, 2014;Raffler et al, 2018;Bjorkmann & Svensson, 2009;Buntaine et al, 2018;Reinikka & Svensson, 2011;Chowdhury et al, 2018). Golooba-Mutebi has charted the longer history of such efforts in Uganda, arguing that though public meetings as consultative fora are widely recognised platforms for engagement, their use has declined steadily in recent years (Golooba-Mutebi, 2004).…”

“…environmental resource extraction). Further, this form of engagement, community meetings, was chosen because of its local relevance and scope for increased participation (Van Campenhout et al, 2018). Previous qualitative work with similar population groups showed community meetings as a widely accepted civic engagement construct, and one of the primary ways that Ugandans civically engage (Busara, 2017).…”