|
Eyes on Pandemic Governance: Bangladesh & The Philippines
|
|
|
|
With our partner in Bangladesh, the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, ARC researcher Naomi Hossain discussed our joint monitoring of the governance of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, in a webinar organized by the Covid Collective on September 16. The report developed a framework rooted in political economy to assess pandemic governance, and applied it to analysis of the public health response, lockdown management, social protection and the economic stimulus, and local community governance. The State of Governance in Bangladesh 2020–2021: Governing COVID-19 in Bangladesh – Realities and Reflections to Build Forward Better was covered widely in the Bangladesh press in July and August.
|
|
G-Watch released the fifth installment of the TPA Now! Paper Series. The Kids are Alright: 'Youth-Led' Initiatives on COVID-19 examines whether the Philippines youth council (Sangguniang Kabataan or SK) response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been truly youth-led and indicative of gains from the SK Reform Law. The paper concludes that “despite being branded as a ‘breeding ground for traditional politicians,’ various SK Councils have continuously shown signs of reform to being truly youth-led, as illustrated not just in their COVID-19 response, but also in their participation in advocating for good governance and nation-building.” G-Watch’s work builds on the idea that the SKs’ capacity to scale and sustain accountability in the country depends on it becoming truly transformative and youth-led.
The G-Watch Monitoring of Social Assistance in Lanao del Sur: A Report on Field Validation Findings report presents the findings of independent validation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) specifically in four (4) barangays of Lanao del Sur. Conducted in May to July 2020, the result of the field survey by accountability frontliners of G-Watch Marawi showed key gaps and challenges in the delivery of social assistance in Lanao del Sur. Non-compliance to standards were persistent, specifically the mandated process of filling-up the social amelioration card and the expected time the cash assistance was to be received. There is a clear gap in the information and guidance that clarifies to beneficiaries what to expect, especially the additional assistance to be received by 4Ps beneficiaries. The grievance redress system (GRS) in Lanao del Sur is almost totally unutilized, a clear accountability gap in the delivery of social assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
|
Keywords Roundup: What Does #Accountability Mean to You?
|
|
|
ARC *officially* launched a series of Accountability Keywords posts reflecting on the meanings and usage of relevant keywords in differnt contexts and languages. The authors in the keyword series come from countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In case you missed them, here are the keywords posts from September:
- Defensor/a: un término que se refiere a las y los defensores indígenas de derechos comunitarios de la salud en Guatemala (Benilda Batzin, CEGSS)
- The Message(s) in the Music: Lyrics Promote Accountability in Nigeria (Odey Friday, Accountability Lab, Nigeria)
- How are Transparency and Window-dressing Understood in the Marathi Language? (Dr. Nitin Jadhav, India)
- The Promise of Whistleblowing in China (Asst. Prof Yifei Li, NYU Shanghai)
|
|
|
#DoNoHarm: Engagements on Multilaterals
|
|
|
Cocoa Convening Calls for Greater Transparency & Participation in World Bank Loan
On September 10, ARC senior researcher, Judy Gearhart, co-convened a strategy session with advocacy organizations from the U.S. and Europe to brief independent NGOs and unions from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The goal was to brief Ivorian NGOs and unions on a proposed World Bank loan to improve the Ivorian cocoa sector. The loan proposal is intended for approval in February 2022, but it has not yet been made available to civil society organizations (CSOs) in French. The meeting featured the work of SEND Ghana and other Ghanaian CSOs, which leveraged a recent African Development Bank loan to secure an effective grievance redress mechanism, greater transparency, and avenues for CSO participation within Ghana’s COCOBOD, the body managing the country’s cocoa sector. The not-for-attribution (Chatham House Rules) meeting laid the groundwork for future advocacy and engagement on development finance in the region. The group’s main concerns are that as civic space narrows, exclusion of the most marginalized and disempowered groups increases their risk of being left behind. On September 14, Judy Gearhart and Etelle Higonnet of National Wildlife Federation presented a summary of the group’s concerns during the monthly Tuesday Group Meeting of U.S. government representatives and NGOs focused on multilateral development bank programming and policies.
|
|
World Bank Environmental & Social Framework Implementation in Latin America: Main challenges and lessons to be learned
Friday, October 1, 2021 10:00–11:30 am Washington, D.C. time (2:00-3:30 pm GMT)
Register/Join Here: https://worldbankgroup.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUodOGuqT4uHdwjjDdDq_8Oa-XeBC-jbTh3
The ESF developed a new set of requirements to ensure that development projects financed by the World Bank do not harm people or the environment or discriminate against marginalized groups. Civil society has been tracking and monitoring World Bank projects in the region to look at ESF implementation, focusing on the assessment and management of environmental and social risks and impacts, indigenous peoples, and stakeholder engagement and information disclosure, with the main of strengthening ESF implementation on the ground and to identify, and address implementation gaps that could be addressed to improve project design and implementation. Includes presentation of new report.
- Moderator: Rachel Nadelman, Accountability Research Center, Policy Advisor
- Panelist 1: Laura Montaño, Ambiente y Sociedad, Senior Researcher
- Panelist 2: Carolina Juaneda, Bank Information Center, Latin America Regional Coordinator.
- Panelist 3: Marivero del Mastro, Sociedad y Discapacidad, Legal Program Manager
- Panelist 4: Sofia De Abreu Ferreira, Lead Social Development Specialist World Bank.
|
|
|
Publications: Demanding Power, Civic Space and Hunger, & Global Partnership for Education
|
|
|
Demanding Power
ARC co-published a working paper with the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) Program at the Institute of Development Studies: Demanding Power: Do Protests Empower Citizens to Hold Governments Accountable over Energy? (IDS Working Paper 555). Energy protests are becoming increasingly common and significant around the world. While in the global North concerns tend to centre around climate issues, in the global South the concerns are more often with affordable energy. Both types of protests, however, have one issue in common: the undemocratic nature of energy policymaking. In exploring this theme, the study examines what factors support protests developing into significant episodes of contention within fragile settings, and whether these energy struggles promote citizen empowerment and institutional accountability. In September, an invitation-only international roundtable discussion brought together multilateral institutions, energy policy experts, energy justice scholars, and civil society actors to reflect on the findings and their implications for energy transitions and the politics of climate change.
Civic Space & Hunger
Global Policy published an open access article The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Hunger and Poverty in the Global South by ARC research professor Naomi Hossain with co-author Marjoke Oosterom. This article traces impacts of closing civic space on civil society and social movements addressing poverty and hunger in Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. This article proposes that how closures of civic space affect development outcomes will depend on the role civil society plays in development, and specifically on the ‘fit’ between civil society and the state with respect to development policy and programming. Despite diversity in political and economic context, restrictions on civic space commonly prevent broad civic engagement in policy processes, in particular critique or scrutiny of government policy and practice, and hamper non-governmental organizations’ service delivery. Because civic engagement matters most for marginalized and disempowered people, their exclusion from policy processes and services will deepen. Reversals or stagnation in progress towards addressing poverty and hunger indicate that as civic space narrows, the most marginalized and disempowered groups face a growing risk of being left behind.
Global Partnership for Education
Abrehet Gebremedhin, American University PhD student and ARC researcher authored a new report published in September 2021 Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Secretariat Rapid Review of Education Out Loud’s Operational Component 1. The rapid review focused on answering three main review questions related to the relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of Education Out Loud’s Operational Component 1: To what extent is the component relevant, appropriate, and aligned with GPE 2020 thus far and GPE 2025 moving forward? How efficient are existing processes and available resources in implementing this component? Is the component achieving its intended outcomes and, ultimately, objectives? The report presents a summary of the main findings and conclusions on the three review questions, as well as the corresponding recommendations.
|
|
|
Warm Welcome to Luis Diaz - ARC's new Finance Manager!
|
|
|
Please share with colleagues who may be interested to sign up for future monthly updates on publications and highlights of our partner organizations’ work for social change and greater accountability. You can follow ARC on @AcctResearchCtr, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram!
With Regards from the ARC team:
Jonathan Fox, director
Angela Bailey, managing director
Naomi Hossain, research professor
Rachel Nadelman, policy advisor (World Bank Citizen Engagement)
Judy Gearhart, senior researcher (transnational labor & environmental rights)
Joy Aceron, G-Watch convenor-director, and ARC researcher / advisor
Mariana Cepeda, researcher (Colombia)
Abrehet Gebremedhin, research & publications
Luis Diaz, finance manager
|
|
|
|
