C4D Network

Global community of professionals working in Communication for Development

Nigeria Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (USAID, 2019)

The Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (SACE) project was a five-year program funded by USAID and Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND). Implemented by Chemonics International with partner Root Change, SACE strengthened civil society’s ability to work with the government to influence the development and implementation of democratic reforms that improve transparency, accountability, and good governance at the national, state, and local levels in Nigeria.

This report provides a project introduction and an an overview of SACE’s Approach and Tools.

Click here for full report.

Innovation in the Horn, East and Central Africa (HECA): Perspectives from on-the-ground experiences (Oxfam Case Study, 2017)

Innovation involves applying information, imagination and initiative to get greater or different value from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful processes or products.

These case studies showcase some of the innovative ideas that are being implemented by Oxfam in six countries: Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi.  Each project was selected for its potential to bring greater impact in the future. They include turning ‘excrement into income’ in urban slums in Kenya; giving citizens a voice through empowering them to use their mobile phones to report and share information on justice issues in Rwanda; and using a logistical ‘hub’ in Uganda to enhance service delivery and cost-effectiveness across a region.

Click here for full case study.

“Voice of the voiceless”: Learning from SORADI’s project to strengthen accountability in Hargeisa (IAAAP Paper, 2018)

Citizens’ ability to seek accountability from Hargeisa Local Council is highly constrained, SORADI’s evidence-based, coalition-building model provides some clues as to what an effective approach might look like. Diverse, highly-networked, inclusive groups of citizens can work together to design and implement advocacy strategies, creating positive momentum for change. However, the development of capable, accountable and responsive authorities requires a step-change in the quality of the Councillors, who are responsible for leadership and oversight.

The paper draws on 22 key informant interviews who have been involved in the project, including members from both accountability fora.

Click here for full paper.

ICT, Urban Governance and Youth (UN HABITAT Report, 2015)

The ICT, Urban Governance and Youth report is the fourth report in the Global Youth-Led Development series. The report provides a conceptual framework which reflects the rapidly changing dynamics in three areas of urban development: the demographics of the fastest growing segment of urban populations, youth (ages 15 to 24); information and communications technology (ICT) and particularly mobile phones; and governance, particularly local governance in the developing world.

Click here for full report.

Politicians’ perspectives on voice and accountability: evidence from a survey of South African local councillors (Making All Voices Count Research Report, 2017)

A growing body of research exists on democratic accountability. Much of this research focuses on citizen strategies for expressing their views, and on efforts to hold politicians and government service providers accountable. Despite this research, little is known about how politicians in young democracies view these aspects of democratic governance.

Given that accountability can be understood as a feedback ‘loop’ between citizens and elected representatives, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of the norms and values of politicians themselves, the pressures they face and the ways that they communicate with their constituents.

This paper details findings from an original survey of approximately 1,000 South African councillors in 2016 and 2017 to explore what representation and accountability looks like from their perspective. How do they understand the various links in the accountability chain, including citizen input and deliberation, norms of good government and pressures from political parties, friends and family? The quality of democratic accountability, and the success of interventions to improve citizen representation, may depend on the norms and beliefs held by elected representatives.

Click here for for further details and to download the report.

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