State-Society Synergy for Accountability Lessons for the World Bank

by World Bank

• ISBN13: 9780821358313
• ISBN10: 0821358316
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-24
• Publisher: World Bank Publications
• More Book Details

Summary

'State-Society Synergy for Accountability' is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion.The central question guiding this study is: How can the relationship between the state and society be transformed from a process of particularistic demands into a healthier engagement that produces policy outcomes serving the public interest?The paper first surveys the literature on accountability and establishes a categorization of the different ways by which civil society can interact with the state. It then explores in detail seven case studies of successful experiences of state-society synergy for accountability. The studies are drawn from a wide range of different contexts - Brazil, India, Mexico, the United States - and from a variety of areas of government activity including corruption control, environmental regulation, poverty reduction, election monitoring, infrastructure provision, school reform, and police reform. The paper concludes with a series of lessons for development practitioners on how best to initiate, design, and implement successful accountability mechanisms grounded in state-society synergy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	v
Executive Summary	1	(2)
1. Economic Development and Good Government	3	(4)
2. Accountability and Civil Society	7	(6)
3. Case Studies	13	(24)
Case #1: Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil	14	(3)
Case #2: Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute	17	(6)
Case #3: Police and School Reform in Chicago	23	(2)
Case #4: Decentralization and Rural Development in Mexico	25	(3)
Case #5: Toxics Release Inventory in the United States	28	(3)
Case #6: Women's Police Stations in Brazil	31	(2)
Case #7: Grass-Roots Anti-Corruption Initiatives in India	33	(4)
4. Lessons for the World Bank	37	(6)
5. Conclusion	43	(2)
Annexes
A. Summary of Case Studies	45	(4)
B. Summary of Lessons for World Bank Staff	49	(2)
Bibliography	51