Access full text: available online. This paper examines current practice, experiences and theory in advocacy capacity building. There is a risk that decentralisation can serve to empower local elites rather than the population as a whole. Other Dictionary Sources The act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant . CommGAP, 2008, ‘Coalition Building’, Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP), World Bank, Washington DC National and local laws and policies mandating citizen participation can be important enabling conditions, although their effectiveness will depend on the historical and cultural context in which they are applied and the actors involved. Unfortunately, many … This paper reflects on case studies of citizen mobilisation in the North and South, arguing that the politics of knowledge is central to how movements are mobilised, framed and identified. External actors have a positive role to play in efforts to strengthen democratic structures, but they cannot act as substitutes when domestic support is lacking. However, government inputs into village schools and household knowledge of government education policies are no different in villages with greater access to community radio than in other villages. What challenges exist in efforts to promote ‘deeper’ democracy? While the ‘speaking for’ nature of democratic mediation clearly opens up critical legitimacy problems, the practice of democratic mediation appears to be remarkably common, and even effective. It is also important to recognise that the poor face particular barriers to participation, for example, illiteracy, lack of time and an inability to travel long distances. Access full text: available online. Using research on six civil society budget groups in Brazil, Croatia, India, Mexico, South Africa and Uganda, it argues that while the structure of the budget process makes substantial changes in expenditure priorities difficult to achieve, budget groups can increase the accountability of decision-makers. Some analysts have found that the actual evidence on transparency’s impacts on accountability is not as strong as one might expect. The underlying logic is that greater empowerment also allows for greater accountability. Can they contribute towards social justice objectives or strengthening democracy? It also assesses their adaptability and cost-effectiveness. An ICT index is constructed, which also has a negative association with corruption. Access full text: available online. empower definition: 1. to give someone official authority or the freedom to do something: 2. to give someone official…. Learning from the Reflect ICTs project’, ActionAid UK, London In Brazil, the concept of citizenship is linked to service provision. Service provision arrangements linked to various forms of community participation may improve MDG-related outcomes. And if so, does it do so by increasing government accountability to citizens, or by persuading households to take advantage of publicly-provided services? See also the discussion of media development in the topic guide on Communication and Governance. It argues that, despite important post-Apartheid reforms, public participation is still limited. The mobilisation of citizens around the tax system is another approach for participation in public policy. Which democratic mechanisms might increase and deepen popular participation in the political process? Increasing numbers of women have gained entry to formal political spaces. Critical to the success of CBNRM efforts is ensuring that local communities’ livelihoods needs are met through the sustainable management of natural resources. Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. By establishing the right to information in domestic law and by setting up public information systems, governments can enhance citizens’ participation in governance, advance equitable economic development, reduce poverty and fight corruption. What does empowerment mean? The meaning of empowerment: the interdisciplinary etymology of a new management concept. The potential contribution to good governance of access to information lies in both the willingness of government to be transparent, as well as the ability of citizens to demand and use information. 3, pp. This paper assesses the capacity of various ‘democratic innovations’ to broaden citizen engagement and deepen participation in agenda-setting and decision-making. This paper surveys current debates, covering four main strands: ‘civil society’ democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy and empowered participatory governance. What factors facilitate inclusive political settlements and developmental coalitions within a hybrid political order? These cookies do not identify you personally. According to the dictionary, empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights. empowerment (Noun) The process of supporting another person or persons to discover and claim personal power. CSOs play a key role in collecting, analysing and using information to bridge information gaps. This study distils lessons learned by a handful of African civil society coalitions on the dynamics of demanding improved governance of governments that are often averse to governance reform. What role did digital media play during the “Arab Spring”? Even defining the concept is subject to debate. To enhance the potential of women’s political participation, democracy itself must be democratised, including by building new pathways into politics. Access full text: available online, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), 2008, ‘Policy Recommendations of the International Conference on Decentralization, Local Power and Women’s Rights: Global Trends in Participation, Representation and Access to Public Services’, policy recommendations from the international conference, Mexico City Donors have supported public information and literacy campaigns via mobile telephones, as well as citizen monitoring of government and donor policies and programmes from the ground up. Policies promoting community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) have created an important role for communities in the conservation, management, and use of natural resources. How can public participation in government policy formulation and implementation be improved? Through its research, the Citizenship DRC has collected evidence which shows that – even where formal mechanisms of accountability are weak – citizens can and do engage with states through collective action to create policy reforms. One … McGee, R. et al, 2003, ‘Legal Frameworks for Citizen Participation: Synthesis Report’, Learning Initiative on Citizen Participation and Local Governance (Logolink), Sao Paulo The limits of democratisation strategies which focus only on the formal electoral arena are becoming increasingly clear. Recent research has found that community participation in service delivery can significantly enhance the responsiveness and accountability of service providers to users, and contributes to the functioning of public services that are accessible and equitable. Access full text: available online, UNDP, 2003, ‘Access to Information’, Practice Note, United Nations Development Programme, Oslo Governance Centre, Oslo There is little evidence that market-oriented reforms have improved public services in developing countries. ICTs are being used to support development outcomes in five primary areas. Institutional design choices have implications for the character of participation, how officials and citizens are informed, the fostering of citizenship skills, connections between public deliberation and state action, and public mobilisation. Mobilisation that adopts a critique or protest approach seems less likely to elicit a positive state response than collaborative engagement. Promoting political participation is an important way of improving state accountability and responsiveness, and empowering the poor. Their voices can be constrained by low awareness of rights, government resistance, poor access to information and complex laws and procedures for involvement in local decision-making. This paper examines the evolution and political dynamics of Ghana’s central government tax system. What motivates citizens to mobilise, and why? Access full text: available online. Access full text: available online, Beardon, H. et al., n.d., ‘ICTs for Development: Empowerment or Exploitation? The IDL Group, 2008, ‘Accountability and Voice for Service Delivery at the Local Level’, A background paper for the UNDP regional training event: Developing Capacities for Accountability and Voice, Sofia, Bulgaria, October 1-2, 2008, United Nations Development Program and the IDL Group What needs to be included in the effective design of access to information programmes? There is limited research available on the role of social movements in development processes. Decentralisation, civil society activism, and the transparency of and access to information also play a key role in strengthening accountability. Recent research has stressed the need to shift from a technology-led approach, where the emphasis is on technical innovation, towards an approach that emphasises innovative use of already established technology (mobiles, radio, television). So what does empowerment really mean? The empowerment and accountability agenda thus takes an integrated view of how people can gain the necessary resources, assets, and capabilities to demand accountability from those who hold power. Civil society actors are also becoming involved in independent budget analysis and advocacy initiatives designed to enhance the transparency and poverty focus of public budgets. There is also broad consensus that in order for democratisation processes to be sustainable, they need to come from within. How can taxation policy help to improve governance and accountability in developing countries? (eds. 27, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton What can be achieved through social organisation? ‘The organization's work in Liberia has made a considerable contribution to political party empowerment.’ ‘To help you get comfortable with your ability to take care of business, follow these steps to financial empowerment.’ ‘Giving them such empowerment is really investing in viable business capable of … Kommen Frauen ins Parlament und in leitende Regierungspositionen, dann führt dies zu einer Vorherrschaft von Elitefrauen, aber nicht … Women’s effective participation must be facilitated through measures that include quotas and reserved seats in political bodies, and support for women’s capacity development and networking. Have government efforts to raise taxes in Ghana produced successful demands for greater accountability? This report looks at the challenges and opportunities for vulnerable and marginalised communities presented by the latest wave of ICT innovations. This paper argues that a robust and independent media can provide timely, relevant and clear information to facilitate dialogue between policymakers and citizens and serve as a watchdog of political processes. Third, they have supported improvements in accountability, transparency and participation, by allowing citizens to publicise their concerns and grievances, share ideas, present information and hold governments to account. This requires not only social and political empowerment, which forms the basis of transformed relations with the state, but also economic empowerment, which enhances people’s abilities to engage. Access full text: available online. The paper below argues that communications can persuade stakeholders to join a coalition through ‘framing for collective action’ – which emphasises their shared purpose, as well as the potential benefits for individual stakeholders. Empowerment definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. What lessons does Brazil offer for democratisation in other countries? Lessons learned include providing evidence of change in the ‘capability to demand’ and addressing obstacles in processes that target the disadvantaged by engaging the elites as ‘champions of the poor’. This report, prepared for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, outlines the theoretical background to discussions on ICTs and democracy, and presents case studies from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Social media has played a critical role in recent uprisings, such as 2011’s Arab Spring, when political blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other online content helped to organise political action and build solidarity between opposition groups. Access full text: available online, Helling, l., Serrano, R., Warren, D., 2005, ‘Linking Community Empowerment, Decentralized Governance, and Public Service Provision Through a Local Development Framework’, World Bank, Washington DC They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. An open, pluralistic media sector relies on political will and an enabling legal and regulatory environment. Access full text: available online, Cornwall, A. and Goetz, A. M., 2005, ‘Democratising Democracy: Feminist Perspectives’, Democratisation, Vol. To what extent has this translated into their political influence, or into gains in policies that redress gendered inequities and inequalities? This note argues that access to information is an empowerment tool that underpins democratic governance, and which is also fundamental to other priority programme areas. The vast majority of the available case study material on social movements does not focus specifically on assessing their impact, but rather on describing their goals, tactics and experiences of engagement with the state. This World Bank paper reviews existing literature and develops and applies a new transparency index for 194 countries. 105-113 It presents lessons from ActionAid’s Reflect ICTs project that challenge how ICT4D is currently understood and practiced. What kind of legal framework best enables citizen participation in local governance? Access full text: available online, Prichard, W., 2009, ‘The Politics of Taxation and Implications for Accountability in Ghana 1981-2008’, IDS Working Paper 330, Centre for the Future State, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton The use of ICTs is also thought to increase people’s access to markets and jobs, and to help make public services more responsive and accountable to users. This Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative report provides case studies to show that information empowers people to demand adherence to the whole range of their human rights. Rappoport (1984) has noted that it is easy to define empowerment by its absence but difficult to define in action as it takes on different forms in different people and contexts. This paper, from the University of Los Angeles, provides an overview of issues and experiences with diverse forms of community participation in the provision of services. How does access to information support good governance and poverty reduction? How can media freedom and access to information support the wider development objective of empowering people? 253-267 What role can local community participation in basic service delivery play in promoting development outcomes? Empowerment is defined as “ the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights ” (Oxford Dictionary). It finds that in the pre-internet period, civil society’s focus was on behind-the-scenes struggles for associational autonomy within the state-socialist framework. This means enhancing resources provided by other projects, such as community radio, television stations or telecentres, and recognising less formal communication arenas and structures. Examining the case of Cuba, this paper compares civil society dynamics prior to the internet – in the early to mid-1990s – and a decade later. It reports findings from a survey of public schools, households and VEC members on the state of education services and the extent of community participation in delivering such services. Daruwala, M. and Nayak, V. (eds), 2007, ‘Our Rights, Our Information: Empowering People to Demand Rights through Knowledge’, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi This is apparent in the multitude of programmes for decentralised governance in both Southern and Northern countries. These innovations may offer lessons on the pre-conditions for effective participatory governance as well as on institutional design. State accountability to citizens can also involve participatory budgeting and various public oversight initiatives. Some experts argue that access to and use of information is a precondition to any form of citizen-led accountability. This report by the International NGO Training and Research Centre examines a social movement focusing on low-income housing in São Paulo. How can service provision be designed and delivered in a way that ensures the opinions of the users, socially excluded groups and the voices of the poor are heard and represented? Communication structures and processes – including a free media and access to information – thus enable the two-way exchange of information between the state and its citizens. The presence of active, informed and coordinated civil society organisations (CSOs) is generally regarded as another important precondition to amplifying the voices of the poor. Therefore, as important as the relationship between citizens and the state, is a ‘horizontal’ view of citizenship – one which focuses on the relationship between citizens. Access full text: available online, Mohanty, R. et al. First, they have helped to improve poor people’s access to markets, financial services and employment. This report from the Learning Initiative on Citizen Participation and Local Governance (LogoLink) synthesises the findings of a research project on frameworks for citizen participation in East Africa, Latin America, South and South-East Asia and the North. The following paper from the Citizenship DRC also highlights the increasingly common, but under-researched, practice of ‘democratic mediation’. A Study of Primary Education in Uttar Pradesh, India’, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3967, World Bank, Washington, DC Through the process, an individual becomes an agent of change. This article from the IDS Bulletin draws on the example of Parivartan, a Delhi-based citizens’ group working on issues of corruption and accountability. More simply put, it’s the “can do” factor, going from “I can’t” to “I can.” How can public services in developing countries be improved? Transparency and accountability have emerged over the past decade as key ways to address both developmental failures and democratic deficits. Can access to information and transparency reforms improve governance and development outcomes? boell.de. But have democratisation processes really increased pro-poor political participation? Providing information is the first step to improving accountability to excluded groups – information helps people to understand the services they are entitled to, and the mechanisms available to them to demand this level of service. Access full text: available online, Cornwall, A., Romano, J. and Shankland, A., 2008, ‘Brazilian Experiences of Participation and Citizenship: A Critical Look’, IDS Discussion Paper 389, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton Institutional arrangements that preserve the rights of citizens to participate are important enabling conditions. State-society bargaining over taxation seems to be shaped by the broader state of politics, the role of elites, the mobilising capacity of civil society, the motives for the tax increase and the type of tax in question. This is used to inform citizen participation in various mechanisms designed to improve participation and accountability of services, for example user groups and resource management committees, citizen report cards, etc. Social empowerment reinforces the ability to participate economically and politically, which in turn reinforces women’s standing in society. Association for Progressive Communications, 2009, ‘ICTs for Democracy: Information and Communication Technologies for the Enhancement of Democracy – with a Focus on Empowerment’, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Stockholm The concept of participation is increasingly being related to rights of citizenship and democratic governance. ICTs association with inequality varies with the sample chosen – it is positively associated with inequality for the sample with both developed and developing countries, but negatively associated with inequality for the developing country sample. A common understanding of political empowerment (the transfer of power to those who do not have it) embraces the definition of power in distributive terms. For details, click "read more" and see "use of cookies". Community participation also affects public sector accountability at local, regional and national levels. However, its effects on political reform depend on the extent to which web-based voices connect with off-line debate and action. What is the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to support processes of democratisation and empowerment in developing countries? The paper below argues that larger, flexible budgets; higher proportions of tax revenues from a local base; and the lower costs for public participation all promote citizen and local government empowerment. Decentralisation has the potential to empower citizens, including excluded groups such as women. Their comments have little to do with me; they speak to the sender. Access to and broad dissemination of information is a key precondition for this. Women are at particular risk of being marginalised – at all stages of the policy process. Democratic mediation involves organisations, ranging from local CSOs to international NGOs, linking citizens’ claims to existing local, national or international policy debates or decision-making processes, in order to gain profile or legitimacy for citizens’ demands. How can citizens affect service delivery and accountability? Civil society mobilisation is a way of supporting citizens’ political empowerment by amplifying their voices, as well as an important vertical accountability mechanism for holding state institutions and service providers to account. Access full text: available online, Hoffmann, B., 2010, ‘Civil Society 2.0? Support involves promoting understanding of the socio-political context, better research communication and use of evidence, and the creation of an explicit influencing strategy. Access full text: available online. If not, what are the barriers to poor people’s participation? Access full text: available onlinde, Jha, C., et al., 2009, ‘Citizen Mobilisation in Nepal: Building on Nepal’s Tradition of Social Mobilisation to make Local Governance more Inclusive and Accountable’, Report prepared for DFID, World Bank and SDC It argues for raising awareness and understanding of ICTs, and for making ICTs central to development cooperation and support for democratisation in the case study countries. In what circumstances is citizen mobilisation to claim rights and entitlements responded to by democratic states in ways that deepen democracy? They may also have limited capacity to conduct advocacy, and to develop the networks and platforms that are needed in order to ensure that the concerns of their constituencies are heard. It can also amplify the voice of marginalised and excluded groups. Some of the key outcomes of empowerment initiatives in South Asia can be catagorised into personal, economic, political and social outcomes. 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