Introduction: Governance, Social Accountability, and Sectoral Service Delivery

Abstract

This volume began as a means of reflecting on RTI's collective experience with social accountability, learning from past projects to improve our current and future development efforts. As the case studies developed, it became clear that they were of a quality and depth that should be shared more broadly, resulting in this book. We are grateful to F. Henry Healey, Alyson Lipsky, and Felicity Young, as well as Taylor Williamson, for their excellent work writing or reviewing the chapters of this book. In addition, a large number of RTI colleagues helped the chapter authors with insights, documents, and feedback related to each of the projects profiled; they are individually recognized for each case in the pages that follow.We would like to recognize support from RTI's Internal Research and Development funds to develop the cases and overview analysis, as well as prepare the manuscript for publication. In particular, Aaron Williams, Paul Weisenfeld, Luis Crouch, and Karen Posner championed support for this research.Finally, we would like to thank the RTI Press team, led by Karen Lauterbach. The peer review process, managed by Gary Bland, sharpened the writing and analysis. We are also grateful to the editors and designersincluding

“Our fear is finished,” but nothing changes: efforts of marginalized women to foment state accountability for maternal health care in a context of low state capacity

“…Social accountability builds on the longstanding field of participation in development, including in primary health care, by linking participation to the accountability principles of answerability and sanctions [20–22].…”

Exploring the Symbiotic Relationship between Digital Transformation, Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Governance for Smart Sustainable Cities

“…The connection between infrastructure and service delivery extends to the principles of good governance, which embody transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and the rule of law. Transparent and accountable governance practices are crucial for fostering trust, enhancing public service provision, and aligning policies with peoples' demands [166,168]. The integration of digital tools and platforms into governance structures amplifies transparency, efficiency, citizen engagement, and public trust [164,179,180].…”

“…Good governance, embodying principles such as transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and the rule of law, significantly shapes the efficacy, equity, and quality of public services. Transparency and accountability are also two important pillars of good governance [166][167][168]. Public participation is integral to good governance, considers community needs in decision-making, and enhances service solutions [9].…”

“…Transparent and accountable governance practices are pivotal for enhancing service provision, fostering trust, and aligning public services with citizens' needs [167]. Transparency, involving the disclosure of information and decision-making processes, cultivates citizen trust by providing insight into resource allocation and decision-making [9,55,166,168]. Accountability mechanisms reinforce confidence in governance integrity, emphasizing that public services prioritize peoples' interests [9,55].…”

Integrating community outreach into a quality improvement project to promote maternal and child health in Ghana

“…Certain international organizations have promoted greater community involvement in QI strategies in LMICs, such as community members managing accountability, oversight, and mobilization of local resources (Björkman & Svensson, 2009; Brinkerhoff 2011; Bradley et al, 2012; Peters 2002). Examples of organizational-level application of QI include the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Health Care Improvement Project and Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems project and Save the Children’s Partnership Defined Quality Initiative (USAID, 2011; USAID, 2014a; USAID, 2014b; Save the Children, 2012; Tawfik, Segall, Necochea, & Jacobs, 2010).…”