tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33464850423950371802024-03-14T11:44:09.799+08:00VOICESThis is ANSA-EAP's online channel for commentary and reflection on social accountability issues, as well as on interconnected issues of corruption, governance, and citizen participation. All articles in VOICES represent opinions of the individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ANSA-EAP and its partners. ANSA-EAP is also not responsible for the accuracy of information in these articles.ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498475484747650567noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-9203399556823663612016-10-18T13:35:00.000+08:002016-10-21T11:17:00.293+08:00“You measure what you treasure”: key lessons from Australia’s My Schoolby Dondon Parafina <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBepIz-o2wQKbmcRWlmmqj8C44Gmg0pHetYtDcQ10bh5V552w2I-7gN-M3M7ltCkQ9Ld3p9fXDlP3__TL48F7sxkooVphwxDFIC9fItg7hClhCGDBS7IKRVjmps_zb9jtnOh2TV0_Sdqi/s1600/Australia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The 3-member Philippine delegation (Ana, Don, Deo) to the study visit in Australia organized by UNESCO, hosted by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)." border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBepIz-o2wQKbmcRWlmmqj8C44Gmg0pHetYtDcQ10bh5V552w2I-7gN-M3M7ltCkQ9Ld3p9fXDlP3__TL48F7sxkooVphwxDFIC9fItg7hClhCGDBS7IKRVjmps_zb9jtnOh2TV0_Sdqi/s320/Australia.jpg" title="The 3-member Philippine delegation (Ana, Don, Deo) to the study visit in Australia organized by UNESCO, hosted by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3-member Philippine delegation (<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100001268688505" href="https://www.facebook.com/anaeva.villanueva" id="js_cx" role="null">Ana</a>, Don, Deo)</td></tr>
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"You measure what you treasure,” says a co-delegate in the study visit to Australia sponsored by UNESCO and hosted by Australia’s Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).<br />
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When it comes to public access to data, you should ask for what matters. No just any data, but something that impacts people’s lives.<br />
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In the education sector, it’s the learners who matter the most: whether they are learning or not; whether they are being equipped with the right facilities to learn or not.<br />
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In this sense, Australia's open data for education platform, <a href="http://myschool.edu.au/" target="_blank">MySchool.edu.au</a>, got it so right. "My School”, which has information about over 10,000 schools in Australia, features students’ growth in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy based on the result of the National Assessment Program - learning and numeracy (NAPLAN). It’s a nationally administered test for all students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The results are out there for everyone to see. It has students' test performance results, but they are de-identified to protect the students’ privacy.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>And there’s more.<br />
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"My School" allows statistical comparison of schools’ and students’ performance according to context-sensitive index of community socio-educational advantage (ICSEA). The index includes parents’ occupation, parents’ educational background, geographical location, and proportion of indigenous students. These are deemed crucial drivers of students’ advantage or disadvantage in learning.<br />
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ICSEA is important because it makes the comparison fair and reasonable. When the socio-educational background is similar across schools, it is more likely that the <br />
difference in students’ progress is influenced by the school’s teaching capabilities. Then the principals or teachers will be able to make the right interventions to help low-performing students or identify ways to enhance the top students’ performance even more. <br />
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The capability for comparison is one of the strengths of My School, but it’s also the most prone to controversy. Some principals and teachers do not like it, and a teachers’ union even threatened to boycott NAPLAN if My School will continue with the online publication of results. Parents, on the other hand, support and demand for it. Through it, they can make informed choice on the school they should enroll their children in or what kind of improvements they should demand from teachers and school officials.<br />
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In other countries, like the Philippines*, the usual education data collected and analysed pertain to resources available for the schools to operate. Classrooms, chairs and tables, textbooks, toilets, computers, teachers and personnel, budget. We compute textbook to student ratio, classroom size, toilet to student ratio, budget per student, and the likes. These are all inputs to learning, which often become the focus of attention or the main points of contention. Whatever we do, they won’t add up to learning and learning growth. <br />
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If there’s anything that we should look for when it comes to education data, it should be the measures of learning. Like what My School has.<br />
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That, however, is just data access. It’s half of the picture because the other half is accountability. It’s all about what the school principal or the teacher or the parent should do after getting hold of the data, especially the learning performance of the children. How should they use the data to address, say, the condition of the non-performing student? <br />
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What should the Principal do, as manager, to improve the learning condition in the school if certain gaps were observed based on the data?<br />
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These accountability questions are not simple. The reality of managing schools and student learning is much more complex than what the test results show. The accountability for continuous improvement is a function of many things, including the resources available to the principal and the cooperation of parents and community in school affairs. This broader understanding of accountability can perhaps avoid a situation wherein parents impulsively pull out their kids from schools in reaction to My School data.<br />
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It appears to me, at first glance, that My School tends to lodge all accountability on the use of data on the principal and the school level actors. But that may not be correct. We need to know what problems are properly within the mandate and capacity of the school principal to address. The others may have to be elevated to a higher office, perhaps even state policy level.<br />
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The point is: if the use of data for accountability is to be taken seriously, we need to make a fuller appreciation of the problems encountered in the schools, as may be revealed in and through the data; and match it with an enabling knowledge of the appropriate way of addressing it or who should be responsible for it. <br />
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I hope My School does this as it evolves as a model transparency and accountability mechanism in the education sector. To do so, it has to study further why principals and teachers generally dislike it and find it demoralizing when compared with other schools. On the other hand, the parents need to tell their stories of how My School has helped them participate more actively in schools affairs. These may convince the teachers and principals that open access to data is not out to harm them, but can actually improve schools and students.<br />
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*The Philippine delegation to the study visit to Australia shared about their own local open data and citizen participation practices in the education sector. These were the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Enhanced Basic Education Information System (E-BEIS) and Learning Information System (LIS) and ANSA-EAP’s CheckMySchool.<br />
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We agreed that there are significant lessons to learn from Australia’s My School. <br />
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First, DepEd’s Enhanced Basic Education Information System or E-BEIS, as a repository of various data on education services, is not yet widely shared with the public. Only DepEd offices and units, from central to division to schools, have access to BEIS. DepEd’s website contains only summaries of these data. To be truly relevant, there must be a clear demand for the data that DepEd collects. That will happen if the department will open up the available data for optimized public use.<br />
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Second, its data are heavily concerned with input services for learning. E-BEIS has information on enrolment, teaching and non-teaching personnel, classrooms, desks and chairs, toilets, computers, and even land titling, though it has not yet integrated information on textbooks and school finances. <br />
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More importantly, E-BEIS is not linked yet with the students’ learning performance. National Achievement Test (NAT) results are not publicly available and accessible. If the E-BEIS is to be positioned as DepEd’s main open data mechanism, it would be best to present its relevance as learning-centered or performance-oriented. Its relevance should consist in providing the opportunity to analyze learning and performance side by side with the input services.<br />
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Third, the E-BEIS may also be bolstered if it incorporates school based accountability management. Schools prepare important documents, such as the three-year School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Annual Investment Plan (AIP), which should reflect the schools’ priority improvement and serve as bases for the use of their resources. DepEd must see to it that these are complied with and that the public likewise gets access to these. An online platform to contain the SIPs and AIPs will help a lot in managing these in data format and promote public access for shared use with the communities. <br />
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Finally, the <a href="http://checkmyschool.org/" target="_blank">CheckMySchool’s</a> service improvement framework may also be linked with the school’s learning performance. Its call for accountability has to include the concern for the quality of learners the schools are producing. It may not be clear yet how we can do it, but the lesson from Australia seems to intuitively tell us that it has to be there or that’s the way it should be.<br />
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Learning is our treasure and that’s what we should measure. We access such data to know if we're succeeding in our mission to educate. In another play of words, we say: successful access is accessible success for our precious learners.<br />
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Last edited: 21-10-2016<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
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<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i></div>
<br />ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-46408164297012553502015-11-12T13:09:00.002+08:002015-11-16T08:03:37.076+08:00The government can pay for citizen participation <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-803ff230-fa13-e515-9f51-aa57274c483f" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
by <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dondon Parafina</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Note: This is part 2 of the blog titled, “<a href="http://voices.ansa-eap.net/2015/10/the-government-should-pay-for-citizen.html" target="_blank">The government should pay for citizen participation</a>”. </i><br /><br />All throughout the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2015, which was held in Mexico last October 27-29, I tried to steer discussions around the idea of government financing of citizen participation. I purposely used this opportunity to sound off this idea.<br /><br />The feedback was promising. In one session, an African noted that it is ideal but would not happen in their country in the immediate future. Perhaps in 50 years, he added. A Sri Lankan remarked that he never thought of that track of support for civil society work on accountability, but it made a lot of sense. The American moderator praised the idea and agreed that institutionalization of citizen participation logically entails financing by the government itself. The Indian moderator in another session opined that it’s a viable arrangement that will require a policy and systems study.<br /><br />Let me level up the discussion and bravely claim that there are indications that the government can actually pay for citizen participation in public governance. I do not mean only that it should pay in principle; I believe there are also practical reasons that it can do so. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes, the government can pay for citizen participation without compromising the cherished independence and autonomy of the citizen sector. Certainly, this will not be easy. It will require some adjustments in the way government views citizen participation and in the way citizen groups view the value of their social accountability work.<br /><br />Here are the indications:<br /><br /><b>There’s big potential for government buy-in for citizen participation</b>. The citizens’ active and direct engagement in government processes is arguably a growing trend worldwide. While country governments’ support for it varies and is subject to many constraints, positive openings and clear entry points have emerged for interested civil society groups to pursue it. Various transnational multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), such as those cited in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.transparency-initiative.org/reports/assessing-the-evidence-the-effectiveness-and-impact-of-public-governance-oriented-multi-stakeholder-initiatives" target="_blank">Brockmyer and Fox’s 2015 study</a>, may be credited to have helped make these possible. <br /><br />Take the case of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which has 48 implementing countries and Open Government Partnership (OGP), which has 66 participating eligible countries. There are other MSIs with less formal membership guidelines, such as Construction Sector Transparency (CoST), Open Contracting (OC) and Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT). These MSIs, through the informal interface of government, civil society and private sector stakeholders, have convinced governments to adapt certain standards and prescriptions, which always have a citizen participation component. <br /><br />The civil society-initiated projects of the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA), the Affiliated Networks for Social Accountability or ANSAs in Africa, East Asia Pacific, South Asia and Arab World, and the Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF) also emphasized close collaboration of civil society with government agencies. GPSA has 42 opted-in countries though actual country projects are more limited in number, the ANSAs’ engagements covered around 29 countries in four regions, and PTF had small but effective projects in 53 countries.<br /><br />The covered countries in these MSIs could go as high as one-third of the United Nations’ 192 official members. Note that the UN itself provides and encourages space for citizen participation, especially now with the introduction of the social development goals or SDGs. SDG #16 articulates the need for participatory institutions and policy making for a sustainable global society. Specifically, in 16.7, it targets to “ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” This theoretically expands the number of potential countries that will recognize and support citizen participation practices in public governance. <br /><br />Many governments in the world, therefore, already have the pre-requisites to appreciate citizen participation and to even set it in motion through policies. With a little more push from civil society and a little more persuasion from international bodies, these governments can deepen their experience of and develop a real buy-in for integrating citizen participation in governance work. Buy-in should eventually literally mean buying into the idea of citizen participation through financing. Public managers, however, must eventually realize by themselves the value of citizen participation, embrace it as part of the process—not an added burden—and be convinced that it’s beneficial to their overall functioning. Operationally, I think it would be easier to do this if citizen participation could be linked to an already existing practice within the bureaucracy. I see that link in the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) requirement of every project and program.<br /><br /><b>Budgeted monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities can take the form of participatory M&E</b>. M&E is already a recognized spending item for government because it’s embedded in various projects and programs. While some still struggle with, if not outright resist it, the concept and its function are already almost mainstreamed in government operations, which entails that they also have allocated funding for it. They use it for procuring consultants or consulting services to conduct the M&E activities. Take the case of the Philippines, which sets a budget for M&E at not more 3% of the total cost of projects; it is contained in the General Appropriations Act and has a memorandum circular that defines the scope and conditions for the use of the M&E fund.<br /><br />Now, what are social accountability tools but M&E tools that use the participatory approach? Citizen participation in public finance management stages can happen through participatory M&E or PM&E. If government managers will view citizen participation as a way for them to obtain citizen feedback on the performance of projects and programs, then citizen participation activities may well be funded through the M&E budget. <br /><br />The government agencies may directly pay citizen monitors/assessors or they may engage the services of civil society organizations for it. Mongolia’s procurement law provides a role for civil society co-evaluators in the bidding process and the government has allocated budget for it, which is made available for qualified individual civil society member. However, engaging the organization rather than individual is still the preferred mode. Why CSOs? Because the CSOs are assumed to be the expert practitioners in using social accountability tools and other participatory approaches. They’re also assumed to have the constituency or have the ability to form the constituency of citizens that will be involved in the PM&E activities.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Note
that there are other types of citizen participation that could not be
categorized as PM&E. Examples like these can be further analyzed in a
separate discussion</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><b>Government’s procurement process can bring out the most competent providers of participatory M&E services. </b><br /><br />There is one way through which the government can credibly use public funds for citizen participation. That is public procurement! This is a difficult truth to swallow for the civil society. But it is an established procedure with assumed standards and safeguards. Interestingly, it is through public procurement that citizen groups can be properly selected and their conflict of interest checked and cleared. Thus, the independence of the citizen participation initiative and the citizen participants are safeguarded as well. Yes, the procurement transactions could be corrupted, but that’s where constant advocacy and vigilance come into play. Civil society, as a sector and not as individual groups, needs to ensure that the government resources for citizen participation are used properly and responsibly. All awards should be above board.<br /><br />Note that funding of citizen participation through public procurement diversifies fund sources for civil society organizations. It will be added to the usual grant funding facility that civil society taps. If it’s not too much to ask, perhaps government can also relax the tax implications of securing contracts with government on citizen participation projects.<br /><br />To many perhaps, procurement of civil society services is still too remote a possibility or highly implausible at this time (remember the African delegate in the OGP Summit 2015 who said they may have to wait for 50 more years before it happens in their country). If that is the case, then perhaps a more indirect mode of supporting it could be an option.<br /><br /><b>Government can partner with a reputable intermediary institution to manage funds for citizen participation. </b><br /><br />The government can come up with a social investment fund or dedicate funding for a social action program to help civil society facilitate citizen participation in public governance. The government can channel these funds through a reputable institution like a UN agency, say UNDP, for management (credit to Henrik Lindroth, ADB consultant and friend, who introduced this idea to me). The UNDP can even mobilize additional resources from multilateral donors to match the government commitment. <br /><br />Various units or offices of the government can define their PM&E needs and enroll them in the government’s UNDP-managed funding facility. It’s the UN that will call for applications from the civil society and administer the projects as well. This way, the government units’ needs are addressed while civil society avoids potential co-optation when relying on government for funding. This practice, however, should mature into government’s familiarity with participatory tools and the growth of the network of civil society service providers. <br /><br />As the saying goes, if there’s a will, there’s a way. If we go by the abovementioned indications, the opening up of opportunities for citizen participation in public governance is a positive development. Indeed, there are many ways through which the government can ably and proactively respond to the necessity of setting up mechanisms to support and finance citizen participation. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
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</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i></div>
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Citizen participation and citizen engagement in governance are buzzwords in the civil society and non-profit sector. <br />
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Citizen participation takes place when citizens attend government consultations, observe processes, monitor projects, respond to surveys, gather and analyze data and report findings, etc. A government agency can claim to be inclusive, attentive and responsive to citizens’ needs when it features one or two or a combination of these tools in their processes, whether it’s planning, budgeting, spending or auditing. These tools for participation help improve the quality of government services because the authorities can hear direct feedback from the citizens, know what the service users or citizen customers want, and fix reported problems. Any government manager genuinely concerned with the agency's performance should be interested in citizen participation, in the same manner that private businesses make sure they understand and get feedback from their customers to be competitive in the market. <br />
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On the citizens’ side, participation also translates into empowerment to exact accountability from government. Such approach to participation is what we have come to know as social accountability.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Citizen participation happens because citizens volunteer to do it, either on their own or in response to initiatives organized by civil society groups. In both cases, the citizen volunteers carry the cost of participation, which is often unrecognized or dismissed as inherent in the definition of participation, i.e., it should always be voluntary. There’s no clear financing of such work because these are supposed to be part of civic duty—good governance being a public good. It’s dependent on donations (most civil society initiatives, for example, are implemented using grant money from international donors) and expectedly has short-term project perspective. It does not usually graduate from pilot stage and is very difficult to scale up. It’s almost always a brain-crunching exercise and a real struggle to define the long-term sustainability of these efforts. How do you attract and keep a steady supply of volunteers? How do you ensure that they are always organized, trained and motivated to engage government? Without a reliable source of financing, all the sustainability plans in many beautifully written project proposals are gibberish and just made to comply with the mandatory section on sustainability. Despite the soundness of the design of many initiatives and their high impact on improving public services, very few of these citizen participation efforts could actually be sustained and institutionalized.<br />
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Now, with the emerging preoccupation with citizen involvement in governance, it’s high time that we seriously consider a “business model” that will reframe the workings of citizen participation based on voluntary work. This model should avoid ad hoc operations and enable repetition, as in sustained cyclical repetition, of effective practices. Since it is practically a way to improve governance, the government managers should be the primary users of these tools for participation. They should avail of these like they would avail of common services, such as security, janitorial, or consulting services. As such, government offices should have budget allocation for it and should be ready to pay for it. In short, the key financing for citizen participation in governance should come from the government itself.<br />
These are the reasons:<br />
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<b>The government needs citizen participation and benefits from it</b>. Any government program requires information from citizens as public service users and consumers, like any product requires market research through focus group discussions, surveys or other monitoring and evaluation tools. In governance, citizen participation is what provides the information. This point, of course, assumes that public managers have appreciation of the value of such information in their performance and in the work of government in general. So if they really see the need for it, they should buy it. <br />
<b><br />Participation entails real work, and real work deserves just compensation</b>. People spend personal time and energy training for social accountability work, actually executing required activities, and delivering tangible outputs, such as reports containing vital information for the public managers. While these may take only a few hours, they could also last days and even months. Given this demand, it’s just fair to ask for compensation. Note that online survey respondents (who are customers themselves) get paid for the questionnaires they accomplish and private companies hire secret shoppers (who are customers themselves) to monitor the quality of customer service. If private sector can recognize such work as worthy of payment, why can’t the government?<br />
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<b>Government financing can attract wider participation.</b> Established and well-known civil society groups with their own network of volunteers may have already dominated, or worse, monopolized, opportunities for citizen participation. Government agencies contact these same groups in consultations or assessments because they are the ones with remaining, though perhaps diminishing, funding from international donors. The use of government funding for citizen participation, through a well-crafted policy, would remove such dependence and, in the process, attract and incentivize more citizens and citizen groups to participate. <br />
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<b>Government-financed participation offers additional income</b>. Not many volunteers can afford to forego work and subsequent income for a day or two just to monitor a government project. Some financial incentive for participatory work, therefore, would make it more bearable. Unemployed or underemployed individuals may also be attracted to the opportunity for the additional income they can get. Even the poor, who are willing and able, can earn by serving as monitor or assessor of the government’s anti-poverty program. Let’s just hope there’s a way to exempt this income from any tax. <br />
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<b>Government can justify setting the standard for participation if it pays for it</b>. While citizen participation aims for inclusivity, there should still be standards for it, especially if it’s regarded as a kind of service or job. Standards for selection, training and quality control must be imposed on participation efforts. That’s the way it should be since information from participation will be used for decisions. Even members of the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized sectors should, with proper assistance, go through these processes before they serve as citizen monitors. <br />
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<b>Government financing is the answer to the sustainability question</b>. The government is in the best position to keep the best citizen participation tools and practices through continued government allocation of budget for it. If participation is proven to make government services efficient and effective, by all means, let’s use public money to sustain it. This is better than seeing the initiatives go to waste because donor funding has run out or shifted to another, trendier projects. <br />
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This idea of government financing of citizen participation is admittedly not simple and invites not a few criticisms. At first blush, it may even sound like an oxymoron. It’s more consistent with volunteerism and there’s a nagging voice telling us that it should never be a paid work. I have seen the limitations of this view and some practical concerns must be attended to if we want citizen participation in governance to be truly effective. This essay hopes to open up discussions and inquiries around the implications of this idea, such as the following: <br />
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What laws or policies will govern the funding and payment of citizen participation activities? Who should manage the fund?<br />
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From which revenue will the government source the fund for citizen participation?<br />
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Will the funding and payment apply to all types of participation or only those dealing with social accountability? <br />
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Would there not be any conflict of interest when citizens receive payment from the same government office that is the subject of their monitoring? <br />
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Will payment not demean the volunteer or civic spirit behind participation? Is it tantamount to the commercialization of citizen participation?<br />
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How do we prevent misuse of funds for citizen participation, including channeling of funds to bogus and/or corrupt citizen organizations? <br />
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There are many more questions. Is this an opportunity or a threat? For people like me who want to constantly reimagine and innovate on ways to realize citizen participation, this idea is worth exploring and testing.<br />
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Read part 2: <a href="http://voices.ansa-eap.net/2015/11/the-government-can-pay-for-citizen.html" target="_blank">The government can pay for citizen participation</a> <br />
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<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
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<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-68819884452929872872015-04-17T13:40:00.001+08:002015-10-03T10:15:24.704+08:00An academic experienceBy Adelle Chua <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-my739C6fo/VUXiERLawhI/AAAAAAAAdMU/-hCTWFi4VRI/s1600/Palawan%2BAcademic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-my739C6fo/VUXiERLawhI/AAAAAAAAdMU/-hCTWFi4VRI/s1600/Palawan%2BAcademic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Political science teacher Anthony Badilla of Palawan State University was in the process of organizing a half-day activity among his students. While surfing the Web, he had read about a new program called Citizen Participatory Audit, spearheaded by the Commission on Audit through partnership with a civil society organization. He thought it was a great, novel way of involving citizens in running the government.<br />
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He had wanted to create an opportunity for his students to translate what they were learning to more tangible action beyond the walls of the university. <br />
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In early December, however, Mr. Badilla received an invitation to attend a geotagging workshop organized by, of all agencies, the CoA. Imagine thus his surprise when he discovered that the workshop was an activity of the same CPA that he had been reading about and wanted to share to his students. <br />
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And so the half-day activity no longer had to be organized -- for now.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Badilla’s student, 20-year-old John Jester Cabular, says he was “alien” to geotagging before he walked into a conference room at the Puerto Princesa city hall. He thus welcomed the learning he obtained from the two-day workshop, where an procurement expert from the World Bank gave a hands-on training -- using freely available applications and Google earth on any Android-powered mobile phone -- on the use of technology as a tool for transparency. <br />
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Both student and teacher are members of an audit team that would look into farm-to-market roads in some municipalities of in Palawan, as part of the second phase of the CPA. The teams, composed of state auditors and citizen group representatives, will use geotagging technology to carry out the audit. <br />
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“The concept is now clear, very clear,” says Badilla of the workshop on the new tool. His concern, however, is on the actual execution of the audit, especially since it is technology-based and would require hands-on knowledge on the part of all team members. Because of this, he is also concerned that the capacities of team members may not be on the same level. <br />
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Adds Cabular, difficulties may arise from team members’ varying appreciation of the information made available to them. <br />
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But that is the technology, and as the World Bank representative said, anybody can learn anything if one wanted to, bad enough. Another area of concern for Badilla is participants’ commitment to their participation in the CPA. This is a long-running process, after all, he says, not a one-time event or even a half-day activity. And it’s not easy, either.<br />
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How do they see their roles as political science experts in the audit activity? “The technical aspect of the audit may be better performed by the more specialized engineering or accounting representatives,” Badilla says. “We see ourselves becoming more involved in the information/education campaign and advocacy aspects of the CPA.”<br />
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The advocacy has been there for a while, at least for the professor. As a Puerto Princesa resident since birth, he is much affected by what has happened with the Malampaya funds and the fact that the province has yet to be given rightful recognition and share. He also says that there are island municipalities in the province, and that the people have to ensure that their infrastructure is monitored well, despite the distance between city centers and these remote places. <br />
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The 20-year-old Cabular is about to obtain his political science degree this March and is exploring several options on what to do after graduation. He might go to law school, or teach, or do government work for a while. <br />
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For now, though, being part of the audit team for CPA is a commitment he has made. He looks forward to learning much from the audit process. This is, after all, something one cannot learn in school.ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-87442995677434309852015-04-17T13:18:00.000+08:002015-10-03T10:17:19.836+08:00Lower Mekong countries could take on social accountability as a sub-regionby Dondon Parafina <br />
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Countries in the Lower Mekong sub-region, composed of Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam, are slowly but decisively making strides in social accountability. ANSA-EAP is happy to be part of this process. <br />
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Cambodia, for instance, has been a priority for ANSA-EAP since 2008. Despite the challenges in its socio-political setting, we saw great potential in pursuing the social accountability agenda for the country, at least as a learning exercise for both government and civil society. And indeed for the past seven years, ANSA-EAP’s presence in Cambodia has thrived; our social accountability initiatives have continued to gain ground.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Thailand and Myanmar have also been engaged in ANSA-EAP events around public procurement monitoring and researches on participatory practices. <br />
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In 2012, Vietnam and Cambodia became showcase countries for the USAID program, Building Bridges for Better Spending in Southeast Asia. Practical learning and peer sharing on the use of public expenditure tracking survey, citizen report card and social audit in the countries’ education and health sectors amplified their social accountability experience.<br />
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Today, there are more developments in Myanmar and Vietnam that signify their stronger interest in SAc. Through Oxfam GB Myanmar, ANSA-EAP has started stocktaking processes and start-up training for selected government and civil society stakeholders in these two countries. <br />
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Moreover, the Australian Foundation for Peoples of Asia and Pacific (AFAP) in Vietnam just initiated the Awakening the Silent Voice project for ethnic minorities at the commune level after launching the first national workshop on social accountability. <br />
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Are we going see to similar efforts in Laos and Thailand, despite the unique struggles they have in their respective democratic spaces?<br />
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In November 2014, more than 60 civil society groups from the Lower Mekong countries started conversations on strengthening their cooperation and networking during a conference. They released the Khon Kaen Declaration with a commitment to “establish a framework for collaboration”. Could social accountability be a prominent agenda in this collaboration?<br />
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These developments certainly signal the need to study the strategic value of the Lower Mekong region as a social accountability focus. Where is it headed and how is it evolving? What are the emerging lessons from each country experience and is there an emerging picture of a sub-region experience? Does such sub-grouping have positive implication in the context of the ASEAN integration?<br />
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Interesting times!<br />
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<i>(Updated 20-April-2015)</i><br />
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<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
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<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i></div>
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-79941365457923896022015-01-22T14:08:00.000+08:002015-01-22T15:52:50.577+08:00Technology for transparencyBy Adelle Chua<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPqtPgO2k-BUUXNn57H1y6ahnCdSdDn3DrqlJYIwXxIHC-CNCCCX0HoFMhR3ghqJDHN6FOrNt94o3F950HR5_Rq8upLsWDbFHdzqAZYIyEta30bqgDJl_1pqp2ZeKljTnx7kbQi78bEue/s1600/nstaines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPqtPgO2k-BUUXNn57H1y6ahnCdSdDn3DrqlJYIwXxIHC-CNCCCX0HoFMhR3ghqJDHN6FOrNt94o3F950HR5_Rq8upLsWDbFHdzqAZYIyEta30bqgDJl_1pqp2ZeKljTnx7kbQi78bEue/s1600/nstaines.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engr. Noel Sta. Ines</td></tr>
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Noel Sta. Ines has been around. A civil engineer by training, he has worked with government, specifically with the Ministry of Local Governments and Community Development, in the 1980's. He then moved over to the Department of Public Works and Highway. It was in 1997 when he transferred to the development sector, as a procurement specialist with the World Bank. <br />
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His job at the WB is tough, but his advocacy is even bigger.<br />
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At the capacity building session at the Puerto Princesa City Hall in Palawan, Sta. Ines shared his geotagging expertise to an audience of Region IV-B auditors and civil society representatives who would comprise the audit teams who would look into the farm-to-market roads for phase 2 of the Citizen Participatory Audit. <br />
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Why geotaging? “It is an innovative tool to enhance transparency and supervision of development projects,” he said. <br />
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And if “geotagging” sounds just a bit too hi-tech at first blush, Sta. Ines advises, do not despair. “If you have an interest in learning something, you will learn it even if it is not your expertise.”<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><br />A history of weak points</b><br />
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Over the course of his career, Sta. Ines was able to observe how fraud and other irregularities in government could be committed just because a project is in a remote or dangerous location.<br />
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Mindanao, for instance, carried with it high potential for growth being a predominantly agricultural land. It still does. It was the site of numerous promising development projects all supposedly for the improvement of the second-biggest island in the country. <br />
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But implementation of these lofty projects in Mindanao proved difficult because of its vulnerability to fraud, limited supervision, security issues, conflict situations, and inordinate delays. <br />
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An example would be the existence of complete documentation for projects with only one missing element -- the project itself. In some cases, contractors may dissuade auditors from checking on the project by showing them photos. There would then be no way to ascertain whether the photos are current, or if it is photo of the correct project. Sometimes, only the elites’ friends and contacts cornered the projects and obtained its benefits. There are instances, too, that the same project, going by different names, are funded.<br />
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Other projects do begin in the places they are supposed to begin in, according to plan, but Sta. Ines’ cardinal rule when perusing project documents is to never trust anything that seems perfect. For example, fifth or sixth class municipalities hardly have basic computers and internet access, so project designs in CAD down to the last detail should be seen as a red flag. Likewise, document requests provided in record (i.e., unrealistic) time, and all reviews passed or deemed satisfactory should lead one to raise more questions than be satisfied by answers. <br />
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Geo-tagging can help shed light on these and similar concerns through location and visualization. <br />
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<b>How it is done</b><br />
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<span id="goog_1537751980"></span><span id="goog_1537751981"></span><span id="goog_1537751983"></span><span id="goog_1537751984"></span>Geotagging begins from the acknowledgment that everything has a point coordinate. Based on that point, determined through the meeting of latitude and longitude, it would be easy to locate everything through satellite. There are also applications, most available for free, for the visualization of projects. Of course, everyone knows how to take pictures. <br />
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Terms used are points, nodes, waypoints, tracks, lines, trails and polygons One must not get confused with these terms; it suffices that one knows what each term is referring to, One would find out that they all refer to basic things.<br />
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Finally, in geotagging, a cell phone is not a cell phone but a data collector. <br />
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In answering the question, “Is the right activity being conducted in the right place?” geotagging is an innovative too to enhance transparency and supervision. These are musts in social accountability and good governance. <br />
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Geotagging cannot be too complicated, nor too expensive.It must be easily replicable for government institutions and civil society organizations, especially those based in rural areas and communities. <br />
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<b>Efforts to foster transparency</b><br />
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That Republic Act 9184, or the Procurement Act,, was passed in 2002 indicated that the Philippine government had the intention to foster transparency in its transactions. <br />
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Geotagging, despite its relative novelty -- only been used in the past three or four years -- has shown itself helpful not only in theory but in actual practice. It was pilot tested by the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the Mindanao Rural Development Project and expanded on a nationwide scale for the Philippine Development Project. It has also been used in performance audits conducted in Tacloban City for its bunkhouses after typhoon Yolanda, and in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, for reconstruction activities after the earthquake of October 2013. Specifically, geotagging allowed auditors to determine whether the work in these areas was implemented according to plan. Compliance to specification was especially crucial given that the beneficiaries of these projects were victims of disasters.<br />
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In another geotagging mission, a DA team discovered cracks on a road project in Zamboanga Sibugay, and which subsequently led to a quality assurance review which that materials used were not according to plan and specifications.<br />
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With its potential to determine, and swiftly, whether projects are implemented well, with no mark or fraud or irregularity, Geotagging will inevitably be used as a tool to pursue corruption cases against erring government and other officials. According to Sta. Ines, many legal luminaries have indicated that geotagged data can be use as evidence that will be admissible in a court case.<br />
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There is no such case at present, but as the tool becomes more popular and more people see its value amid its simplicity, there might soon be. It might also serve as deterrent for future wrongdoing. <br />
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Sta. Ines says that during his student days, he was an activist, railing against social injustice and wrongdoing in government. He recalls, “masarap makipaglaban kung alam mo na tama ka (It is good to fight when you know you are in the right).” <br />
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Now that he is a professional, with a job that takes him to different places and causes him to interact with people from all sectors, he has this to fight for: “Kapag magkatulong ang gobyerno at civil society, mahirap gawing tama ang mali (When government and citizens come together, it is difficult to make wrong look right).ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-45541465506578359742014-12-09T12:59:00.000+08:002014-12-09T12:59:14.795+08:00An engineer’s opinionBy Adelle Chua
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFRxxhMW215Ar285Z5taU_8Hh1maQTDB6TooyP2Dum9LOQ_JvkcKD5fv0J1f5_xK4Gmz87CLa_K60T2u3ffB2UF9QdTmi8cR6S8sgA2NA4K0vIrpw5lfIJLlIqPHBDo9XOCZ7BvaOcifG/s1600/EngrGo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFRxxhMW215Ar285Z5taU_8Hh1maQTDB6TooyP2Dum9LOQ_JvkcKD5fv0J1f5_xK4Gmz87CLa_K60T2u3ffB2UF9QdTmi8cR6S8sgA2NA4K0vIrpw5lfIJLlIqPHBDo9XOCZ7BvaOcifG/s1600/EngrGo.jpg" height="320" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engr. Erlinda Go</td></tr>
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Seventy-seven year old Erlinda Go only heard about Citizen Participatory Audit on the morning of the workshop in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, when the president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers - Palawan chapter asked her to attend it on his behalf.
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Before the morning ended, she was completely sold. “Napakaganda ng programa (the program is very worthy),” she said. “I have very high expectations.”
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Because of this, Mrs. Go will do more than report back to her president what went on in that initial meeting on November 20. Instead, she will try to be part of one of the audit teams, composed of auditors from the Commission on Audit and of representatives of civil society, which would look into whether farm-to-market roads in Palawan towns had been constructed according to specification.
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<a name='more'></a>Mrs. Go does not doubt that she could do her part sufficiently. After all, her credentials speak for themselves: She is both a chemical and civil engineer, with specialization in materials engineering. She has a masters degree in public administration and a doctorate in education. She is a member of good standing in PICE, is permanent representative to the bids and awards committees of various government agencies, and teaches public administration and education at the Holy Trinity University.
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And based on her experience, FMRs do need to be looked into. Many of them are given to barangay officials who get their own personnel. Government engineers end up acting only as checkers and inspectors. Many, too, are not completed. “They projects are half-baked, or are of poor workmanship. They are sub-standard.”
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She expects that the plans and other documentary information will be satisfactory. “Plans are always perfect.”
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It is the implementation of these plans that must be watched.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI787DDzDARIfWHYvml_Q5aZNk1tVkqn2p-Gp2zjULZQ7gh4PJkUS_XhWAnUBT9OcLDcVwVDcTfpLsnuXrNDlY0N0UWN4bbFH_OqnVMHQxd_rmkR6feZDM1r6TffKz8WAZbqL_zplfSP5u/s1600/cpapalawan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI787DDzDARIfWHYvml_Q5aZNk1tVkqn2p-Gp2zjULZQ7gh4PJkUS_XhWAnUBT9OcLDcVwVDcTfpLsnuXrNDlY0N0UWN4bbFH_OqnVMHQxd_rmkR6feZDM1r6TffKz8WAZbqL_zplfSP5u/s1600/cpapalawan.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engr. Go with the other participants to the CSO-COA dialogue in Palawan.</td></tr>
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Mrs. Go, who has five grown children -- all professionals and accomplished in their own fields -- shares the passion of the people behind the CPA: the Commission on Audit, citizen groups, and the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific. “I feel at home with these people who are interested in government, who are not dormant.”
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“Ako ay natutuwa sa CPA dahil ako’y naniniwala na ang ating pera ay dapat gastahin nang maayos . Sayang na sayang ang pera kapag hindi nagastos ng tama (I like CPA because I believe that the people’s money should be spent the right way. It is such a great waste if money is not spent well).”
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Most of all, Mrs. Go agrees that civil society representatives must be an essential part of the audit teams. “CSOs must always be involved -- and I mean real, independent CSOs, not just those allied with the local government,” she said.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-25298053791878910682014-12-08T13:52:00.002+08:002015-10-03T10:18:17.838+08:00Check this school: An education success story in CambodiaBy San Chey
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O'Chrey primary school is a school in Ochrey Village, Baraing Thleak commune, Phnom Prik district, Battambang province in northwest Cambodia. It was established in 2006 by villagers themselves who decided they must act if they wanted their children to have some formal education. The school was recognized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport six years later, or in 2012.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mnrGuNFxVw/VIU5n0WaaTI/AAAAAAAAcVM/YGbsFf6NGyE/s1600/OChrey-primary-School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mnrGuNFxVw/VIU5n0WaaTI/AAAAAAAAcVM/YGbsFf6NGyE/s1600/OChrey-primary-School.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of KIND Cambodia</td></tr>
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The structure used to be a storage house for corn, measuring only 6 meters by 5 meters. Its rooms were made of wood and its roof, of Zinc. It stood under a tree, near a farm. It did not have walls. There were two classrooms standing on the community-owned land.
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<br />
Enrollment continued to increase despite these conditions. For the academic year 2013-2014, there were 175 students. For 2014-2015 , the number could increase to 219. But school principal Mr. Pot Saroeun said there were only three teachers, two of whom are contracted. Worse, one of these two will resign because of the low salary that could not support her living condition.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>An appeal for action
</b><br />
<br />
In August 2014, the project team of Checkmyschool -- managed by the <a href="http://kindcambodia.org/" target="_blank">Khmer Institute for National Development</a> (KIND) and the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP) -- <a href="http://kindcambodia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/KIND-Appeal_Letter_to_Intervene_school2.pdf" target="_blank">released a statement to the Cambodian government and other stakeholders</a> to help improve conditions in O’Chrey primary school.
<br />
<br />
Specifically, the letter asked for help to construct new classrooms before the new academic year started.
Help was quick to come from other non-government organizations, charities, and the media.. Three radio stations immediately broadcast the sorry situation of O”Chrey primary school. On August 21, it was radio Sarika FM 106.50. The following day, it was radio Australia. On August 31, Radio Free Asia helped make the appeal.
<br />
<br />
Two newspapers also carried the story of the appeal. On August 21, it was the Phnom Penh Post at thmey.com. On August 26, the Phnom Penh Post published another story titled “<a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/school-lacks-basic-supplies" target="_blank">School lacks basic supplies</a>.”
<br />
<br />
<b>Swift response
</b><br />
<br />
The response was overwhelming. In a matter of weeks, the following organizations pledged support for O’Chrey primary school:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cambodia Mine Action Center (CMAC) of Siem Reap branch provided the school building with four rooms made of wood. The school building cost 7000 USD. </li>
<li>Venerable Mam Vibol, the monk at Bo Tum pagoda based in Phnom Penh paid 900USA dollars for buying the land to fill out the campus of school. </li>
<li>Mr. Kim Meansok paid 500 USA dollars for construction worker. </li>
<li>Sabay.com committed to provide 844 USA dollars, 553,900 riel and some supplies for study and 400 books, 550 pens and some student uniforms. </li>
<li>Mr. Chay Mounh, a Commune Chief of Barang Thleak, provided 300,000 riel for construction workers’ food. </li>
<li>Mr. Long Ratana, student from faculty of law gave 40 tables for students and 3 table for teachers. </li>
<li>Mr. Khay Braseth, former actor lives in Australia promised to donate a pump well that at 1000 USD. </li>
<li>Ford Company promised to provide a library for O’chrey primary school. </li>
<li>Ministry of Education pledged to deliver textbooks for primary students.
</li>
</ul>
These commitments from various stakeholders will improve the school and enable it to help more children from the community.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<i>Mr. San Chey is the Network Fellow of ANSA-EAP for Cambodia.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-24320460256862955192014-11-10T13:14:00.001+08:002014-11-10T13:45:55.496+08:00Why Philippines wins in OGPBy Dondon Parafina
<br />
<br />
The Philippines has two internationally recognised programs in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and both fall under the "Citizen Participation" commitment. These are the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA), which won the Bright Spots prize in London last 2013, and the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting (GPB), which bagged third gold award in New York this year. I realized the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7CiIxD4lnZ7dUxqNzRrNFJWWnlJaWl6dTlYcnQxRkVwU3FF/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Philippines' global strength and contribution in citizen participation</a> while preparing a presentation for an OGP regional event in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last October 16. I joined this event on the invitation of Indonesian organizers-- Indonesia is taking leadership in the region-wide mobilization of East Asia and Pacific countries to join OGP since the conclusion of its OGP chairmanship.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHLShv8xwwBX8W3pz_1vppQdiE1neuhwWS6BA0qWD0bixAHQBlmXw3wjPdalh0OrAk4jiZmBBJVkqMXWmlazedY3Cm18VeR7z4yCbF1ffdKR0WoMUpBqgjKPTNyfWJAVnEKD8HNNsCtW1/s1600/OGP+Winners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHLShv8xwwBX8W3pz_1vppQdiE1neuhwWS6BA0qWD0bixAHQBlmXw3wjPdalh0OrAk4jiZmBBJVkqMXWmlazedY3Cm18VeR7z4yCbF1ffdKR0WoMUpBqgjKPTNyfWJAVnEKD8HNNsCtW1/s1600/OGP+Winners.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
From eight member countries in 2011, the OGP now has 65. This is the collective body that has bestowed honors on the innovative governance ideas from the Philippines in two consecutive years.
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Philippine government categorized its 19 OGP commitments into the four thematic clusters, namely improving compliance with transparency, deepening citizen participation, escalating accountability, and technology and innovation. Under citizen participation, it listed four commitments: (1) participatory budget roadmap, where civil society can participate in budget preparation through the Budget Partnership Agreements; (2) local poverty reduction through the GPB, where civil society and community organizations can collaborate with local government in developing local poverty reduction action plans; (3) Empowerment Fund, which will support capacity development for citizens to demand better services and governance; and (4) participatory audit, which aims to craft a roadmap to institutionalize citizen participation in audits.
<br />
<br />
These commitments under citizen participation noticeably have strategic features. First, they are positioned in the public finance management (PFM) processes. The GPB alone covers planning, budgeting and spending; the first and the fourth commitments cover budget and audit, respectively. Second, there is clarity in purpose; the GPB, for instance, has expressed goal to address local poverty. Third, the government is realistically concerned about the need to enhance the civil society's capacity to participate considering that the PFM could go very technical. Fourth, there is effort to provide resources to make the participation happen. Finally, the responsibilities for implementation are shared with various agencies, such as the departments of budget and management, interior and local government, social welfare development, and even the audit commission.
<br />
<br />
The implementation of these citizen participation programs was pursued by passing the necessary policy directives, such as the memorandum on BPA and joint memorandum circular on GPB. Consultations and partnership building with civil society were likewise initiated proactively by various agencies. A CSO Desk or similar facility was set up in agencies, such as budget and management department, to deal directly with civil society matters; COA has a project management office for CPA. International donors also contributed, such as the case of COA's participatory audit, which was supported by an Australian government project. Most importantly, these commitments underwent periodic review and assessment, which allowed the partnership to see how they are working. ANSA-EAP actually did the assessment for the BPA, INCITEGOv and CODE-NGO for GPB, and CPA was regularly reviewed and even subjected to a shared agenda building exercise with various stakeholders.
<br />
<br />
The results of these commitments were properly documented in the reports to the OGP and were also evaluated by an Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM). There had been notable gains in the Philippines' citizen engagement commitments under the OGP, except for the Empowerment Fund, which had been negatively affected by controversies around the use of fake NGOs as conduits of pork barrel funds. Though at varying effectiveness, the BPA has enrolled the participation of 30 CSOs in budget preparation in 2012 and 61 in 2013. It resulted in the inclusion of around US$285 million additional infrastructure and housing budget due to CSO influence. The GPB generated 595 local poverty reduction action plans (LPRATs) in 2013 and 1,226 in 2014, though 2014 project implementation completion still stands at 19%. The CPA has also produced four pilot audits in flood control, health and solid waste management projects.
<br />
<br />
The Philippine government's efforts in involving citizens in governance, a social accountability trademark, have indeed gone a long way and countries around the world are taking notice. While it is not free from major problems in corruption and poverty, it has promising governance reforms and innovations that it should be proud of. These governance reforms and innovations should be cherished and nurtured, not just for the recognitions they have brought, but for the commitment to the principle of openness and participation that they represented and the hard work that both civil society and government exerted to fulfill the commitment.<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i>
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-7854393692946611032014-09-26T13:05:00.001+08:002014-09-26T13:50:00.710+08:00New Book: “Information transparency of public administrations. The right of the people to know and the duty to disseminate public information actively”By: MIGUEL ANGEL BLANES CLIMENT <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAC3k3iTT9iLv7qx71CAsyLW0Oo8M9ASuPYXqVOnUnEK0AanWyqR2n7MZU-qztK2cVC3Y1Yi0GnOCDa8cNomu_4bOfkAZXLExRN3DhALXQxg2N6-ccTXWjr68Pavatsgx5VX3fF4f0d4o/s1600/FOTO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Miguel Angel Blanes Climent" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAC3k3iTT9iLv7qx71CAsyLW0Oo8M9ASuPYXqVOnUnEK0AanWyqR2n7MZU-qztK2cVC3Y1Yi0GnOCDa8cNomu_4bOfkAZXLExRN3DhALXQxg2N6-ccTXWjr68Pavatsgx5VX3fF4f0d4o/s1600/FOTO.JPG" height="200" title="Miguel Angel Blanes Climent" width="130" /></a><br />
<i>A new publication on transparency cites ANSA-EAP website as source. It is authored by Miguel Angel Blanes Climent. He holds a PhD in Law, a lawyer of the Council of Alicante and a legal adviser to the Ombudsman of Valencia, Spain. The new book may be accessed in this link:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://www.tienda.aranzadi.es/productos/libros/la-transparencia-informativa-de-las-administraciones-publicas/5940/4294967293">http://www.tienda.aranzadi.es/productos/libros/la-transparencia-informativa-de-las-administraciones-publicas/5940/4294967293</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Below he tells us why he wrote the book.</i><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The <b>reasons</b> why I decided to write this book are:<br />
<ol>
<li>One of the causes of the economic crisis that we have been suffering since 2008 is in the lack of transparency in the public sector and in the financial market. Confidence in the institutions of a country depends largely on the degree of transparency of its actions.</li>
<li>The lack of transparency in the management of public affairs is a fertile breeding ground for the proliferation of corruption and waste of public money. </li>
<li>The democratic system can not be reduced to vote from time to time and nothing else. No transparency is not possible to demand accountability. </li>
<li>The need to end the impotence of the citizen who stands impassively absolute immunity of public authorities not deign to answer or deny reasoned requests for information. Administrative silence is an improper practice of the rule of law. </li>
<li>Technological revolution that internet can achieve levels of information transparency unthinkable a few years ago. Currently, all publicly funded institutions can publish online, quickly and easily, all the information about your activities through the websites or web pages. </li>
</ol>
Information that resists being published-or at the request of citizens, either automatically by the active form of public administration, which is all that allows citizens to control the management of public affairs, demanding accountability and report instances of waste or corruption. <br />
<br />
The right to know the citizens should not be limited to the activities of public authorities, but should extend to all actions undertaken by public or private entities publicly funded. In a truly democratic system, all entities or institutions supported by public money, without exception, should be held accountable and to inform citizens about their actions. Not only every four years during the elections. <br />
<br />
The issue of transparency of public authorities is not easy. We must provide information as possible without compromising the personal data of citizens and the general interests defended by the public administration. This weighting or balancing of interests is analyzed in detail by the author in each subject matter. <br />
<br />
It has been very useful for writing research information obtained from the website of ANSA-EAP, specifically regarding projects "<a href="http://www.ansa-eap.net/projects/open-contracting/" target="_blank">Open contracting</a>" and "<a href="http://www.ansa-eap.net/projects/enhancing-transparency-impact/" target="_blank">Enhancing Transparency Impact</a>".<br />
<br />
The main conclusions of the research outlined in the book are: <br />
<br />
<b>FIRST: No true democracy without transparency. </b><br />
<br />
Democratic systems are characterized not only by allowing citizens to elect their political representatives from time to time. The role of citizens in the management of public affairs can not be limited to that one moment. Democracy is a constant process of participation. And no one can participate in what is not known. <br />
<br />
The information is essential to know how they are managing public affairs and make accountability to ensure the proper administration of public funds and to avoid possible corruption. The level of transparency becomes the instrument that allows us to measure the quality of a democratic country. <br />
Real political will to establish a culture of transparency is required. Not just the mere existence of the rules, if they are not met then a real and effective way. <br />
<br />
Without the pressure of public opinion and citizens will be very difficult to make progress on access to public information. Political representatives, officials and public employees must be convinced of the benefits of information transparency to improve democracy. <br />
<br />
<b>SECOND: Public information is a public good in any of their classes. </b><br />
<br />
The information held by public or private entities publicly funded belongs to all citizens, to society in general, is a common good; is not owned by institutions, political representatives, public officials or employees. Access to this information is a right of citizens, not a discretion of those entities. <br />
<br />
Access to information is compromised, such as the final cost of administrative contracts, employment or detailed public funds, subsidies granted, spending the salaries, allowances and travel of the political representatives and administrative authorities the funding of political parties, trade unions and employers' organizations, or waiting lists-health care, housing, job, etc, has very few doses of transparency.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, transparency is like sincerity; demanded of others but less of one’s self.ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-71063362542514631002014-06-25T10:00:00.000+08:002014-06-26T16:11:34.596+08:00From Discernment to Empowerment<div>
by <span class="gmail_sendername">Patricia Membrebe</span> <br />
<br />
As a self-confessed worrywart, I have always been in a
quandary over which path I would wholeheartedly take after graduation.
With the desire to get a head start in my career discernment, I decided
that this summer would be the perfect time for me to get involved and
work as a volunteer for any sector that is dedicated to development and
passionate for public service. After weeks of searching for the best
avenue to dedicate all the passion that I have for the development
sector, I stumbled upon ANSA-EAP's website. I have to admit that I
couldn't stop reading the articles published on the site. I was so
amazed by how creative, dynamic and relevant the network's projects and
advocacies are. Without hesitation, I decided to send my resume. I was
just so excited to meet the people behind the network, especially the
great minds behind the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA). CPA was one of
ANSA-EAP's projects that really piqued my interest. Initially, I
thought of CPA as a brilliant way to ensure that the government is doing
its job. Eventually, I found out that there is so much more to the
project than just testing the government's efficiency.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Albeit nearing its conclusion,
the current phase of CPA still had a place for people like me who are
willing to volunteer. Looking back to my interview, I remember one
question that really struck me. I was asked about what I think of the
government in general. Even though I was really embarrassed to tell the
truth, I admitted that I have always been afraid of working for the
government. To me, it has always been a sort of high-walled entity;
therefore, ordinary people like me would find it very difficult to find
their "way in" to see what is really going on in there. Having said
that, I was certain that I still felt hopeful that maybe someday,
something will change my problematic notion. The question bothered me
for weeks, even in my time as a volunteer. But it became my motivation,
my 'why' as I looked forward to proving myself wrong.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
As a volunteer for CPA, I was
tasked to layout the practice briefs for the project, write an article
regarding the conclusion of the phase, and organize a database of
contacts. I must admit that I initially thought that the
responsibilities assigned to me were a little bit technical. I
understood that this was because I came at a time when the phase was
already being wrapped up. I used to think that only the field works are
the most important parts of any research or project. But I learned
through this experience that the interviews, the tools, and the findings
would be for naught if they were not documented and communicated. As a
matter of fact, reading the practice briefs made me understand what CPA
is all about. I became even more familiar with the nitty-gritty details
of each phase. On the other hand, organizing the database for the
project made me realize how much an organization should value its
connections. ANSA-EAP is a network after all, so in building bridges and
working together to get to one destination, it is very important to
bank on strong tie-ups. I am really grateful to have had the opportunity
to partake in such a crucial time for the latest phase of CPA.
Moreover, I consider myself really fortunate that I got to witness how
the stakeholders of CPA gathered to celebrate the progress of the
project in the turnover ceremony with the Commission on Audit. The event
looked back to the progress of the Citizen Participatory Audit and
recognized the driving forces of the project. I honestly felt even more
proud to be given the opportunity to volunteer for such an amazing
project. I was just so amused by the great number of people who support and take part in accomplishing the goals of the project. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I admit that I always had too
many apprehensions and doubts about the government and how they
implement policies and projects. But in retrospect, all of that changed
after I volunteered for CPA. Even though I was not able to witness how
the project started out and how it was all processed, I can confidently
say that I have seen enough to conclude that CPA--more than being the
perfect example of social accountability and the best avenue for good
governance-- is also a good way of empowerment. CPA is not only a tool
to check if the government is doing its job well, it is not just a
process of correcting everything that is wrong in a government project.
It is also the best way to let everyone know that even as ordinary
citizens, we have the capacity to voice out our needs, our demands. For
me, it is the very heart of social accountability--that all sides are
empowered enough to be informed, get involved, make an impact; and
inspired enough to work hand in hand to achieve the ultimate goals.
After all, the real power of a democratic government like ours lies in
the ordinary citizens. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This summer has taught me a lot
and I really felt like a changed person. If at the onset I was merely
looking to gain career maturity, I learned so much more about myself,
and what I want to passionately fight for, in the future.<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<i>Patty worked as a volunteer for ANSA–EAP in the summer of 2014. In this
blog post, she shares about her experience as a volunteer for the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) project of ANSA-EAP.</i> </div>
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-23582112124704050242014-05-29T13:13:00.000+08:002014-05-29T13:14:27.719+08:00Schools as Champions for Social Accountabilityby Chad Osorio<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN4dwJAQsxrDv7bSxn_d-_fUuAvM8Fsn4dn39S3sNQOLpZdqDTWj7spMd6wGjRiNgz3KOXllt-fFs00YCY5qeNqu8_OdzsJj1woC7zziMkgXPtrUgCMUlVtiMw-k9AdT5bZR8wUK3sdda/s1600/ched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN4dwJAQsxrDv7bSxn_d-_fUuAvM8Fsn4dn39S3sNQOLpZdqDTWj7spMd6wGjRiNgz3KOXllt-fFs00YCY5qeNqu8_OdzsJj1woC7zziMkgXPtrUgCMUlVtiMw-k9AdT5bZR8wUK3sdda/s1600/ched.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 120%; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }p.western { font-family: "Cambria"; font-size: 12pt; }p.cjk { font-family: "MS 明朝"; font-size: 12pt; }p.ctl { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; }</style>
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<div align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Bell MT;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">The author with CHED Chairperson Dr.
Patricia Licuanan</span></span></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
24 April 2014 — ANSA-EAP was invited by the World Bank as an interested Civil Society Organization (CSO) for the KDC Meeting 2014. Knowledge Development Centers (KDCs) are policy institutions and universities, in partnership with the World Bank, which organize knowledge exchange about development issues.<br />
<br />
The participants of the activity are the presidents and heads of universities and institutions, heads of the research department or outreach and community extension program, KDC coordinators, and KDC information officers. Development partners, select government agencies and civil society organizations also participated in the activity.<br />
<br />
The Meeting, entitled “Exploring Approaches to Community Engagement,” highlighted the results of a study conducted by the World Bank, with support from the Government of Australia, on the approaches to community engagement of universities (ACE-U). The activity also provided a venue to discuss the programs of selected government agencies and identify opportunities for KDCs to participate in those programs. In particular, it focused on the current status of the community engagement programs of the universities in the country and the assistance of different partners to bridge the knowledge gaps and provide a better knowledge platform to their local communities. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Most of the projects mentioned during the KDC Meeting started from the universities themselves. I raised a point: but how about civil society organizations and citizens starting the projects and later on partnering with universities? In particular, I was referring to an example such as Open Contracting in the Classroom and Beyond (OCCB). <br />
<br />
OCCB is an ANSA-EAP project funded by the World Bank Institute through the Ateneo School of Government. Working with UP NCPAG and other institutions, four professors were identified from different fields: public administration, political science and journalism. They were invited to a writeshop on open contracting and social accountability for module development for their respective classes. Afterwards, they cascaded the lessons to their students and the students, in turn, created projects related to OC+SAc, which can be in the form of news, interviews, videos, written outputs, et cetera. The project was a semi-finalist for the worldwide Ashoka Changemakers Close the Feedback Loop competition. ANSA-EAP is looking for the possibility of expansion, as well as potential partnerships with CHED in these kinds of endeavors.<br />
<br />
I introduced OCCB during the open forum with the idea of getting feedback as well as opening doors for partnerships in mind. <br />
<br />
Dr. Licuanan, CHED chairperson, replied that currently there are no government funds for these kinds of initiatives, but such is a function of being locked into traditional things that it supports, for example capacity building for teachers, or improvement of education, et cetera. However, that does not stop government institutions from exploring the possibility of these types of projects. Indeed, there is an increasing interest in alternative ways of involving people, and CHED is open to the idea of OCCB and other similar initiatives.<br />
<br />
Most of the CSOs and HEIs present were also open to the idea of partnerships, and are hopeful to find projects and funding which could utilize the potential of the youth in universities and the expertise of teachers in forwarding the SAc advocacy.<br />
<br />
The KDC Meeting was a good way to learn about HEI involvement in community governance and projects, not only in the Philippines but in Australia as well. It is a good example of citizen engagement and community monitoring. <br />
<br />
There are, of course, areas for improvement. Constructive engagement is lacking, as there are no avenues for feedback to and cooperation with both national government agencies and local government units, however engaged the citizens are. Another aspect that needs to be looked into is the sustainability of said projects. There is a considerable number of projects mentioned which were spearheaded by the KDC university-members, but the question of continuity remains. What is important would be long-lasting effects of said projects, and this is also where the partnership with government comes in, to enable institutionalization of these initiatives. The significance of SAc is then highlighted, particularly constructive engagement in coordinating with government efforts, in order to keep these projects sustainable and more effective to the communities. This is a potential entry point wherein we can introduce the SAc advocacy. In fact, this initiative in engaging HEIs has been started by ANSA-EAP a few years back, and has produced curricula and learning manuals. OCCB takes it a notch further by integrating SAc lessons into core topics of various academic fields.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, HEI initiatives are very promising. They tap into the power of the universities as developing areas of expertise and learning facilities, as well as the creativity and human resources that students provide. With a little help from both CSOs and government agencies to guide them into the right direction, these projects and programs can become more effective and sustainable, not to mention viable for further expansion and replication, to help improve service delivery to communities, the promotion of welfare and the protection of the rights of citizens. <br />
<br />
<i>The author is a Country Innovations Associate of ANSA-EAP. He is also the Project Manager for i-budget.mo (IBM), a participatory budgeting initiative utilizing online and offline modes of engagement. He dreams of a better Philippines, one community at a time.</i>ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-2819063634410879332014-02-20T16:10:00.000+08:002014-02-21T11:32:52.147+08:00Fulfilling Constitutional Mandate: Involving The Youth in Social Accountability Initiatives<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Political Science students
listening attentively to the Social Accountability and </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Open Contracting
lesson. They will then be required to submit outputs based </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;">on
experiences in applying what they have learned. </span></div>
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by Chad Patrick Osorio <br />
<br />
Open Contracting (OC) can be viewed both as a strategy and a tool for Social Accountability. It refers to government disclosure and citizen participation in the public contracting process, from the inception stage and planning to the performance and delivery of contractual obligations, involving constructive engagement between government and citizens in the entire decision-making and implementing process. Its goals are for better facilities and infrastructures, more efficient delivery of goods and services, and the furtherance of the protection of the rights and welfare of the population. In sum, the OC advocacy aims to promote the efficient, effective and economic use of public funds through collaborative efforts of civic engagement.<br />
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Clearly, the role of citizens in Open Contracting is essential, as it forms a pillar on which the entire process stands. Citizenry is composed of a number of actors, including organized civil society groups lobbying for common causes, local communities, and various social sectors. One of these key groups is the youth.<br /><br />
<a name='more'></a>
Article II, Section 13 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution is quoted as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.”</blockquote>
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The main premise of "Open Contracting in the Classroom and Beyond" is to target students in their present capacity as citizen monitors, in addition to their future potential as practitioners in their respective fields. University professors from different areas of expertise, ranging from public administration to political science and journalism, were tapped to integrate into their lesson plans the ideas of social accountability and open contracting. <br />
<br />
The classroom is an ideal jumping board for guiding students to apply lessons in public disclosure of contracts through both ideological critiquing and actual experiences of engaging government agencies. In the process, they are also encouraged to connect with other civil society organizations to assist them in the advocacy. It is after that students are required to create their own outputs based on what they've learned during the discussions and in the field.<br />
<br />
This model involving professors and students from both public and private universities have been lauded online by developmental practitioners. It has been praised for tapping tertiary-level professors to guide students in understanding the entire process of contracting, especially in the Southeast Asian region.<br />
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The youth has traditionally been overlooked when it comes to issue consultation and resolution, by reason of lack of extensive experience in governance. But what we lack in years we make up with enthusiasm and a fresh outlook.<br />
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"OC in the Classroom and Beyond" truly does go beyond mere dissemination of the two-fold advocacy of social accountability and open contracting. It actually fulfills a constitutional mandate: to encourage the youth in civic participation. In the end, these same people will be our future leaders, and thus it is never too early to show to them how things are currently being done, and allow their minds to wander as to what we could do to improve the current system.ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-69481437841268862702014-01-07T16:53:00.000+08:002014-02-20T16:26:51.470+08:00Social Accountability in Aid DeliverySocial accountability (SAc), which is predicated on first, the willingness, and second, the capability of citizens and government to engage each other constructively in monitoring the use of public resources for better service delivery, can improve aid effectiveness.<br />
<br />
Involving citizens and/or citizen groups[1] in aid interventions—from project development to the implementation and assessment stages—will lead to:<br />
<ol>
<li>more context-sensitive risk assessment and mitigation measures by accounting for the informal institutions that shape governance decisions, activities, and transactions; and </li>
<li> increase accountability and transparency in project/program-related implementation, both of which will result in greater developmental impact. </li>
</ol>
<a name='more'></a>This framework is operationalized in the Public Finance Management cycle—where day-to-day government business processes revolve around—by installing mechanisms for citizen participation in development planning, budgeting, expenditure management, including procurement, and performance monitoring.<br />
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Conversely, by adhering to such a framework and mindset, aid agencies can help pave the way for the opening of greater space for a more democratic governance marked by transparency and accountability.<br />
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There are, of course, some considerations in employing this framework in aid projects. First, the process of selecting citizen groups to involve in the project is an inherently political undertaking. Second, the capacity of identified citizen groups must be assessed, and increased when necessary.
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>What other factors and/or possible scenarios must be taken into account in introducing social accountability in the preparation, implementation and assessment of aid projects in developing countries?</b><br />
<br />
[1] Business is inherently tied into government processes that are components of project implementation (e.g. procurement). Private sector groups are also considered as citizen groups, and have a role to play in pushing for good governance.ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-19530900015852960762013-11-19T13:37:00.002+08:002013-11-19T13:43:54.585+08:00Check your school<div id="fb-root"></div> <script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ANSA.EAP/posts/755505627797162" data-width="550"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ANSA.EAP/posts/755505627797162">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ANSA.EAP">ANSA East Asia and the Pacific</a>.</div></div>
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-87838851526307295342013-10-11T11:18:00.002+08:002013-10-11T11:25:20.790+08:00Ano ang gusto mong i-audit?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" mytubeid="mytube1" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pCwGgI2zydk" width="480"></iframe>
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Tell us on <a href="http://www.i-kwenta.com">www.i-kwenta.com</a>!ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-43314186559758718642013-10-02T12:10:00.000+08:002013-10-02T12:10:17.637+08:00Reflections: Sustaining and Growing Citizen Accountability Networksby Emile Gozali<br />
<br />
This is an introductory blog to inform everyone of my affiliation with ANSA-EAP and the work I am currently undertaking. With regard to background, I am an economist who has spent some time (close to 20 years) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in various positions. I am presently on leave from the ADB, was earlier affiliated with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and am now working with ANSA–EAP. The main purpose of this leave is to look deeper into the challenges of local government transformation in Indonesia, my country. By extension, the transformation of the public sector needs to be anchored on imbuing results-focused management in public organizations. By further extension, citizens—the ultimate clients of public services—need to play a key role if results focus is to be effectively installed in the government. <br /><br />The research that I am conducting is intended to be a practical one. The approach relies on dialogue with stakeholders on a proposed design of an accountability network. This is for a local government in Batam Island, Indonesia. The assessment takes advantage of the experiences of organizations pursuing accountability (through the use of community indicators, report cards and the like) in India, Canada, and the Philippines. Following design refinements, a trial setup of the network will be conducted to further understand the nuances of network operations.<br /> <br />
<a name='more'></a>One of the known problems and intended area of contribution for the study is on sustainability and ways for the citizen accountability movement to grow with local community support—both moral and financial. Although the case study is local, I hope the study has value regionally or even globally. <br /><br /><b>Five layers</b>. This blog is written is as a reflection on discussions I had with potential local funders (businesses) and colleagues who have interest in upgrading public administration and citizen involvement in the endeavour. The discussions touch upon 5 layered questions. <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Why choose results-oriented work</b>? First, lay persons not involved in citizen accountability need to be oriented and even be convinced of its “logic cascade”: that government performance, management quality and governance in Indonesia is the main barrier to progress, rather than access to finance, poor policies, or deficiency in institutions. There is a further need to communicate why a persistent and credible results monitoring system is the first and foremost element needed to embark on the rather complex process of government transformation—and the transformation of societies. Setting up monitoring systems usually is a straightforward step although it may take more time than originally planned. One must also be ready to discuss the attractiveness of funding citizen accountability initiatives in addition to the “more standard” activities that community funders are interested in, such as charities (e.g., scholarships, health missions, disaster relief, etc.). Accountability initiatives are either done by citizens alone or in partnership with government agencies.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Conflict of interest</b>. The second group of questions relates to the identity of the network being planned. There are understandable concerns among potential supporters about hidden motives that underly citizen monitoring such as partisan politics, business agenda (i.e., to generate consultancy opportunities), or simply to create new fields of employment for some people. Affiliation and personal background of the network’s founders and trustees are important to potential funders. If a network comes together from a diverse background (multiple universities, sectors, varied religious and political affiliations), this would inspire more confidence, not only for potential funders but also for the local government and the public. Although there are indeed enough citizens–qualified ones at that–in Batam who are interested in activism, pulling them from a diverse background into one network is the main challenge. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Cooperation amongst champions</b>. One issue that has to be resolved prior to further dialogue with potential funders is how to accommodate all proponents of the network in a fair and satisfactory manner. Operationally, this translates to material benefits for those who lend substantial work, time and influence to the network. Although great recognition and material benefits are usually not the primary motivation for citizens to be involved, the prospect of equitable distribution of benefits is very important. Network supporters need to be screened, in a sense, based on their expected “benefits” to be acquired from and potential contributions to network. To remain cohesive and inclusive, there may be a need for network proponents and supporters to take turns in occupying influential and/or paid positions–at least among those who are interested. However, at the same time, the network needs to maintain institutional knowledge and grow its technical expertise to prosper. Career paths of staff also need to be defined more clearly in order to attract and retain talent for the network. Connected to this, the study is also looking at activities of social enterprises as a possible source “parallel careers” for those who are interested to be involved long-term in citizen activism.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>Constructive engagement</b>. Once the above 3 groups of questions about “network identity” (or who we are) are answered, a network should have a better chancce to chart its operations and, hopefully, raise community-based funding. To be effective in bringing about actual change, the network should reach out and be able to work constructively with government agencies that can implement work on the ground and channel issues through elected representatives, so long as the network safeguard its non-partisan status. This is easier to achieve if the network has its own sources of funding. To grow its community stature, there is a logic for advocacy networks to help mobilize citizens to assist government in solving problems–rather than just monitoring, evaluating, and dialoguing activities. However, active assistance must also be done without overstretching the capacity of the network or hampering the ability of the network to objectively evaluate the work it has participated in. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Fending off vested interest</b>. The final area to discuss with potential funders is how a network can manage a possible “push back” from powerful groups with vested interests within the society (e.g., coalition of individuals from the public sector and businesses), especially those that stand to lose from changes in government transformation. One way the network can address this is to openly announce the potential challenge and even threats that the network can face from such entrenched interests. At the same time, in a fairly large and cosmopolitan local area, such as Batam, there is a possibility that more than one vested interest group exists. Elements within interest groups can be invited to work with the citizen network for a longer term win-win cooperation that can help stabilize economic growth and pursue a path that will be equally financially rewarding for businesses. This process depends on the stakeholders and the specific power balance involved in each area. As an option, areas with an overwhelmingly dominant vested interest groups may be avoided as initial seeding ground for citizen accountability networks. As outcomes of a power rebalancing initiatives is difficult to predict, many network supporters appear to prefer an “adaptable” path forward for governance improvement. It is not very clear though what this adaptable path is and how it might be implemented. </li>
</ul>
<br />
The five sets of queries show that network building, including building its support, is an elaborate but a doable process. The study I am working on will proceed with its interviews, analysis and field trial, and now, it is in an even better position with my affiliation with ANSA–EAP. I will keep everyone posted on how this study progresses.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPkIpYCzlMbWAlBlvbIRw6W48_HnHd-8j-LNYo1kb4wT_TAWw9egwxAQilJp5wzBg_QnFWOfbUfQ6JARwZAmZ84eC5hciOj_YCSNoDPhagSYPqA5MPwfmxggheBogX11ffazkZpu5scRS/s1600/EG+Passphoto_Dec2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPkIpYCzlMbWAlBlvbIRw6W48_HnHd-8j-LNYo1kb4wT_TAWw9egwxAQilJp5wzBg_QnFWOfbUfQ6JARwZAmZ84eC5hciOj_YCSNoDPhagSYPqA5MPwfmxggheBogX11ffazkZpu5scRS/s200/EG+Passphoto_Dec2010.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<i>Emile is an economist who is currently researching sustainable networking with ANSA–EAP. As a matter of personal interest, he is studying how to build a citizen accountability network for Batam Island in Indonesia. Emile hails from Jakarta, Indonesia. </i><b><br /></b><br />
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-15888013366864335022013-08-20T10:00:00.000+08:002013-08-20T10:00:02.779+08:00The PPP and the Bumpy Road of Procurement Monitoringby Kristina Aquino <br />
<br />
Over the last few years, I have seen my fair share of citizen programs and initiatives come to life in an excited, and often loud, snap – usually, in a workshop or meeting setting – only to peter out quietly some time later. For the most part, this is understandable; we can hardly expect all programs, no matter how well intentioned, to be successful or to last forever. And while I can get as ecstatic as the next workshop facilitator or participant when it comes to plans to do something for good governance in (insert country here), I am perhaps more pragmatic than most of my colleagues. I am very cautious when it comes to new initiatives. This stands as a brave preface to my next statement – the <a href="http://www.ansa-eap.net/networking/thematic-focus/procurement/mongolia/procurement-monitoring-network-of-mongolia-holds-3-day-strategic-planning-workshop/" target="_blank">Partnership for Public Procurement in Mongolia</a>, judging by my usual indicators, should have quieted down a few months ago but it continues to barrel forward in its goals. <br />
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At this point, it must be clarified that this is not a negative judgment on the strength of the year-old network, but a testament to its resilience. In ANSA-EAP, we have developed a four-pronged framework for assessing the social accountability quotient of a context or situation or what we call the “<a href="http://www.ansa-eap.net/about-us/governance-and-management/strategy/the-four-pillars-of-social-accountability/" target="_blank">enabling environment</a>”. Barring major unforeseen hindrances, four factors greatly influence the success of social accountability action: a government responsive to citizen involvement, organized and capable citizen groups, relatively wide access to information, context-appropriate interventions and approaches. Upon closer inspection, Mongolian public procurement, I have come to realize during my September 2012 mission, does not easily lend itself to social accountability, which is ultimately what the Partnership is working towards. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For one, the revised Public Procurement Law, which has provisions for non-government (i.e., professional and citizen) involvement in bid evaluations and contract monitoring, was implemented in October 2012, despite the lack of several necessary systems – among these are mechanisms for grievance and for monitoring and responding to citizen feedback (apart from those already existing within respective line agencies). The expedient manner with which the implementation was conducted is symptomatic of a positive thing: if anything, it says that the government is serious with its intention to reform public procurement, with or without a comprehensive set of implementing rules and regulations. Precisely because rules can be rewritten with the added lens of experience, we can all be braver advocates of reform.<br />
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Still on the subject of government, it must be noted that in October 2012, not all government units – and of course, the individuals that make these units up – were fully aware of what the new law means for them. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting several <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Mongolia" target="_blank">aimags</a> or provinces over the last year, and awareness of the law at local levels is uneven, at best. The aimag governments I met were forerunners in procurement reform – they have been championing citizen monitoring even before the revision of the law – so this was not too big an issue in those places. However, I can imagine how difficult it would be for other officials to support, or even comply with, the law when they have little knowledge of it.<br />
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Civil society groups in Mongolia are among the bravest I’ve met. Still, Mongolia is one of the youngest democracies in Asia, which means civic involvement in households is still growing. Couple this fact with the reality that public procurement probably doesn’t seem too exciting to many citizens, how fast can we grow the procurement monitoring population in Mongolia?<br />
<br />
Another oft-cited hindrance – and which perhaps, the Partnership is most conscious of in its everyday work – is the challenge of connecting network members. Unlike smaller and/or more densely populated countries, Mongolia’s municipal centers, where most subnetwork members reside, are separated by hours of travel and hundreds of miles. How can the Partnership – with connecting as one of its core mandates as a national network – bring people together when physical connections are so infrequently made?<br />
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So how is it that the Partnership is still shuttling forwards despite many and varied setbacks? <br />
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What the Partnership has successfully done is find pockets of potential in varied areas and capitalize on these to keep moving forward.<br />
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The Partnership has, to its advantage, a group of dedicated procurement and social accountability experts at its core. Its Board members<sup>1</sup>, especially its Board President, have been effective in leading the Partnership. As a result, the Partnership is now more confident of its role in the bigger public procurement reform. It has also identified four focus geographic areas: the aimags of Khuvsgul, Umnugobi and Uvurkhangai, and Ulaan Baatar city. Through a series of training events, membership has also tripled from 20 (in September 2012) to around 60 in April 2013. <br />
<br />
The Partnership is also taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Law. It has been focusing not just on building citizen capacities on contract monitoring, but also on getting more procurement observers certified (or to use legal parlance, “professionalized”) by training potential members in the different aimags.<br />
<br />
To respond to the current lack of mechanisms for officially receiving citizen reports, the Partnership is also positioning itself as a consolidator of citizen monitoring reports. In the process, the Partnership secretariat hopes to be able to draw attention to alarming reports to facilitate quick and appropriate government response.<br />
<br />
It is with a stroke of luck and a lot of good results that the Partnership has managed to sustain external support from partners, the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/" target="_blank">World Bank</a> being at the top of this list. The World Bank has been an avid supporter of the procurement reform in Mongolia on both the government and civil society fronts. Specifically, the Bank has supporting, on many counts, the following: the operations of the network as it endeavors to find other sustainability modes; the capacity building of members by providing technical input (sourced internally and through competent local and international providers), organizing learning activities, and providing access to much-needed information; and linking the Partnership to its government counterparts to facilitate openings for constructive engagement. Most recently, the World Bank launched “Quick Wins”, a small grant fund for members to pilot procurement monitoring initiatives.<br />
<br />
The Partnership has cultivated partner individuals within government as well. Even as attitude towards civil society monitoring is mixed within government institutions, there are key individuals who recognize the value of the PPP and has taken concrete steps to work with its members. The Ministry of Finance, which houses the regulatory body for the Public Procurement Law, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Partnership – a clear sign that the Ministry is taking the civil society network seriously. Government agencies are frequent attendees of Partnership events and are nothing short of interested in what the Partnership has in its future plans.<br />
<br />
While the Partnership has yet to demonstrate the results of monitoring collectively at the subnetwork level<sup>2</sup>, it has not fallen short on delivering on one thing: the passion to constantly move forward in its chosen cause. Despite issues both chronic and surmountable, both old and new, the network, in a lot of ways, is alive and kicking. Even with a permanent staff of zero (it is only the Board President who now works full time for the network), a website is in the offing and there are constant talks with governments to monitor procurement. All biases aside<sup>3</sup>, I know that it will be interesting to see where this dedicated group takes its work in the next few months—and years.<br />
<br />
__________________________________ <br />
<sup>1</sup>Several of the Board members are pioneer social accountability (SAc) leaders in Mongolia, belonging to the <a href="http://ansa-eap.net/networking/geographic-focus/partnership-for-social-accountability-mongolia/" target="_blank">Partnership for Social Accountability Network in Mongolia</a>, a coalition of civil society networks for SAc established in 2009.<br />
<sup>2</sup>The monitoring projects are still underway as of writing.<br />
<sup>3</sup>Author was the program lead for ANSA-EAP’s work with the PPP. ANSA-EAP is a consultant firm for the World Bank tasked with providing technical advice to the Partnership.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
Kristina Aquino is Communications Manager for ANSA–EAP. Tin also leads the work on providing technical assistance to Mongolian partners, particularly those involved in procurement monitoring. Email her at kaquino@ansa-eap.net. ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-74648311211940076552013-08-08T15:09:00.002+08:002013-08-08T20:20:09.849+08:00Reflections: Governance to Drive Development in ASEAN Countries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Dondon Parafina <br />
<br />
It feels good and very fulfilling when you return from a mission with a very tangible take-away. In the case of my recently concluded Jakarta trip, my take-away was a book and, less tangible but equally important, the insights it gave me about our regional work in East Asia.<br />
<br />
While on the plane, I read and finished the book I got from a meeting with the ASEAN Secretariat. Entitled "<a href="http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=kQ4KcnfSKRQC&lpg=PR1&ots=4ToaiZgdNK&dq=%22narrowing%20the%20development%20gap%20in%20asean%22&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=%22narrowing%20the%20development%20gap%20in%20asean%22&f=false" target="_blank">Narrowing the Development Gap in ASEAN: Driver and Policy Options</a>", by Mark McGillivray and David Carpenter. The book presents a clear picture of where the countries are in various aspects of development and how they, together as a region, can help each other achieve inclusive development. <br />
<br />
Even for people who are not familiar with <a href="http://www.asean.org/" target="_blank">ASEAN</a>, the book is informative and eye-opening. It allows one to take a regional view and go beyond individual country concerns. It clearly articulates – in practical terms – the regional development discourse of ASEAN and points to sensible policy options.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The options presented in the book hold true for all ASEAN member countries, despite the fact that the book deals with narrowing the development gap between two sets of countries: first, the four countries that are currently facing a myriad of development challenges, and second, the six others, which are relatively more advanced in development. The four countries are collectively called CLMV or Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSunykas18iUbiVUigR2pI5U8kB39gkFVoPJkrYU2ObxHaP_th_el50FQVoonxDRCJ9U9Dj1WblO_zBXYW1n8UO5b1c8lOL_Zw3FRUyTXAJgDWEG5hLoA_fcsPuVcUl7ZcsoEWybGeKQy9/s1600/don.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSunykas18iUbiVUigR2pI5U8kB39gkFVoPJkrYU2ObxHaP_th_el50FQVoonxDRCJ9U9Dj1WblO_zBXYW1n8UO5b1c8lOL_Zw3FRUyTXAJgDWEG5hLoA_fcsPuVcUl7ZcsoEWybGeKQy9/s400/don.png" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Governance and the Human Development Index, 2010 (ASEAN countries)<br />
Data source:World Bank, 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span id="goog_1040029231"></span><span id="goog_1040029232"></span>For a regional organization like ANSA–EAP, the book has an encouraging message on ways by which governance can drive ASEAN development. This hints at the relevance of the kind of advocacy work we do.<br />
<br />
Consider the following statements:<br />
<br />
"A clear theme running through this analysis is the importance of improving governance and institutional quality to more expeditiously narrow the gap."<br />
<br />
"ASEAN, countries, in particular the CLMV group, will need to continue to strive for improvements in each of these areas [accountability, transparency, rule of law, political stability, bureaucratic capability, property rights protection and contract enforcement, and control of corruption] if the development gap has to be reduced."<br />
<br />
ASEAN needs to address governance seriously because "all governance indicators for ASEAN countries have fallen between 1996 and 2010. There is generally a very clear gap between the ASEAN-6 and CLMV countries in many of these areas, with the exception of Vietnam, which ranks above Indonesia and the Philippines on some indicators."<br />
<br />
"[T]here is strong positive correlation between governance and institutional quality and economic growth and income level. Improved governance and institutional quality also lead to higher level of human capital development, which is a very important driver of development. The governance driver interacts with many of the other drivers to improve overall performance towards narrowing the development gap."<br />
<br />
The book is certainly a useful guide to navigate our program for the East Asia region. The recognition of governance as a driver of development is an important start. It is interesting to see how the concept of citizen participation will play out in the entire governance discourse of ASEAN and how mainstreaming of such practice among the civil servants of various countries will happen. If you ask me, the next book should be on this special issue.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i>Mr. Redempto "Dondon" Parafina is the Executive Director of ANSA-EAP.</i></div>
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<br />ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-49998739015357911562013-08-02T16:43:00.000+08:002013-08-02T16:47:16.533+08:00Getting to the Heart of the Community: Local procurement monitoring in Mongolia<span style="font-size: small;">by Vivien Suerte Cortez and Kristina Aquino (</span><span style="font-size: small;">crossposted from the <a href="http://www.open-contracting.org/getting_to_the_heart_of_the_community/" target="_blank">open-contracting.org blog)</a>. The post has been adapted for the Open Contracting blog by Sophia Donolo.</span><br />
<br />
<i>Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” – Dr. Seuss</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4D7njANkJky80e69RYZ3qGbvtCVDNuUSUUWfnLsC18T7CWftuGlanm94nbBbUmkht55JcGJdh5RVOyrnlaOW6k_drOcESVSOuYYh5aprgggdaYhWy_EWcXUvuw1f0SeHPa34XTFoiyC/s1600/mongolia-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC4D7njANkJky80e69RYZ3qGbvtCVDNuUSUUWfnLsC18T7CWftuGlanm94nbBbUmkht55JcGJdh5RVOyrnlaOW6k_drOcESVSOuYYh5aprgggdaYhWy_EWcXUvuw1f0SeHPa34XTFoiyC/s400/mongolia-blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Caring about procurement outcomes is what it boils down for all citizen initiatives to monitor public procurement. We – as citizen monitors – care about how the government delivers its services, and we care about the people who should be receiving these services.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>How does one simplify a technical subject like procurement?<br />
<br />
Public procurement is complicated by nature, due to its confusing rules and regulations. But, generally public procurement is the act of acquiring goods and services in order to improve people's lives. Unless the citizens care a whole awful lot, leakages from an inefficient and corrupt procurement may be more than an estimated 20 percent of the government's budget.<br />
<br />
Monitoring roads, furniture, or services is not an easy task. So what do we do to make things easier?<br />
<br />
We connect. We connect with people and organizations that have the same advocacies, interests, and ideals. We dream our dreams and work hard to transform them into reality. Monitoring public procurement demands time, commitment, and large amount of technical and financial resources, so before we make our dreams into reality we first must develop plans to guide us and mark our path towards the goal.<br />
<br />
So, in April 2013 as part of a workshop, Mongolia's Public Procurement Partnership (PPP) developed action plans that reflected how much they cared about their government's service delivery in different aimags (communities). The plans established infrastructure (roads) and education as key sectors to monitor since they had the greatest direct impact on the aimag communities. The plans also outlined how they would carry out the monitoring activities, and how they planned to share their experiences in the future.<br />
<br />
All these plans were made possible because the World Bank Institute (WBI) was there to connect PPP with the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP). The tales, tools, and techniques from the Philippines inspired the PPP representatives to look closer into their experiences, build on it, and develop their ideas for implementation.<br />
<br />
The tales, tools, and techniques can be found here. Having been part of the ANSA-EAP team that designed and facilitated this workshop, we noticed that these plans all touched on services that are close to the aimag subnetworks' hearts.<br />
<br />
Road construction contracts are among the procurement items that constantly garner attention from the government at both national and local levels.<br />
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This is because travel to and within most areas outside the capital city of Ulaan Baatar can prove to be challenging without the aid of good roads. As a rapidly developing country, the Mongolian government is set on improving infrastructure in the major municipalities. After all, mobility is a convenience that should not be left to desire.<br />
<br />
Road construction can also be fraught with risks. The time in which construction can be done in Mongolia is quite short- a bit more than half a year to be precise- due to the harsh climate conditions that make building especially challenging. Therefore, it is imperative that construction contracts keep to their implementation timeline.<br />
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It is also extremely difficult for governments to constantly keep a close eye on the quality of the roads, given that many of them are far from public agency headquarters. In addition to technical road experts, citizen monitors can help flag when construction schedules are off-track and actual road specifications are sub par to those required by the contract. We noticed that the future road monitors in the workshop were extremely giddy with the thought that they could easily diagnose the quality of the roads no matter their individual levels of expertise.<br />
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Mongolian civil society groups have also had much success around the education sector. Being parents or grandparents, having gone through the same public school system as their offspring, the PPP members are well aware of the issues that affect the achievement of education outcomes.<br />
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Quality education is multi-sourced, as it is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. There are multiple well known monitoring initiatives around education in Mongolia including monitoring procurement for school tea breaks as well as the quality of school buildings.<br />
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These plans were drafted with much care. The World Bank, ANSA-EAP and all its other supporters are optimistic of the PPP's plans. Perhaps what these citizen monitoring plans need to be – in Mongolia, and possibly elsewhere – is not flawless or too technical but they need to be local. Where else can one find care other than in the hearts of communities?<br />
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<i>Vivien Suerte-Cortez (vsuertecortez@ansa-eap.net) & Kristina Aquino (kaquino@ansa-eap.net)</i>ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-44846489502846012932013-07-29T10:00:00.000+08:002013-07-30T11:50:44.307+08:00Finding SAc in Fiji: Challenges and OpportunitiesBy Adel Briones<br />
<br />
I recently had a chance to run a <a href="http://www.ansa-eap.net/news/2013/07/18/developing-tools-for-leadership-in-fiji/" target="_blank">toolkit development workshop in Fiji</a>, my second in the past twelve months. I don’t think anyone wold argue – Fiji is, in a lot of ways, an interesting country. <br />
<br />
Most interesting to me, as a social accountability advocate, is how it is faced with social and political challenges that influence the good governance movement. It is also in these challenges that I think we can find opportunities to start germinating social accountability in Fiji.<br />
<br />
One is putting together a social accountability agenda specifically targeting policies and mechanisms that strengthen participatory decision-making in the country’s governance processes. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Two, any social accountability initiative requires a deep sensitivity to socio-cultural nuances, particularly leadership practices. Fiji/Pacific countries have particular leadership practices and customs along traditional/cultural lines, religious/church systems, and the formal/institutional systems. In reality, however, the boundaries between and among these three are so permeable; this situation has often resulted in “leadership confusion” among ordinary Fijians. <br />
<br />
Finally, there is a need to build and enhance the capacity of stakeholders in several areas, among them participatory governance and leadership practice, which is the focus of the toolkit. The partnership between FSPI and ANSA-EAP is designed as a two-step activity, with the toolkit development as the first step and capacity-building as the second. Thus, if available resources allow, there is a need to come up with a more focused mapping of learning needs that would be the basis for a capacity building framework and design that is tailored to the particular needs of the country and the Pacific region.<br />
<br />
I am interested to see how we – ANSA–EAP and our Fijian partners like <a href="http://www.fspi.org.fj/" target="_blank">The Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific</a> (FSPI) – can push this agenda further.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<div class="western" lang="en-PH" style="margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 115%; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }P.western { font-family: "Calibri",serif; font-size: 11pt; }P.cjk { font-size: 11pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "Cambria"; font-size: 11pt; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style><i>Adel
is ANSA–EAP’s Learning Manager.</i></div>
ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-343366930890867462013-07-25T15:21:00.000+08:002013-07-25T16:07:52.332+08:00CCT in ‘Mid-air’: When is graduation not desired?by Emy Perez <br />
<br />
Earlier this month, in a municipality in Abra:<br />
<br />
“When your son or daughter graduates from elementary or high school, how would you feel?,” I asked parent-leaders of the <a href="http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/" target="_blank">Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program</a> (4Ps) and barangay captains who were gathered in a Focus Group Discussion. The resounding answer was, “<i>Masaya</i>! (We will be happy!)” for they see it as an accomplishment, the completion of a task.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFc9pf2vP1fEfvGjnkg4MXYEJR-e8mzkd25g7QTZWK7ZN9Uzrj05e9i8xo1QKyTxyO-IPnmpdFXSmUymIh7C2cGVjZhtVKtnfUwPfKzs6zmaWjq3Rgqw7Cbgay43lDD5d57aVuTp0aJY6/s1600/20130701_175517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFc9pf2vP1fEfvGjnkg4MXYEJR-e8mzkd25g7QTZWK7ZN9Uzrj05e9i8xo1QKyTxyO-IPnmpdFXSmUymIh7C2cGVjZhtVKtnfUwPfKzs6zmaWjq3Rgqw7Cbgay43lDD5d57aVuTp0aJY6/s400/20130701_175517.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption">Photo 1: 4Ps beneficiaries in Abra, Philippines gathered<br />around a list of beneficiaries graduating by December 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then, a follow- up question: “What about when you graduate from the Pantawid Program?” In unison, they exclaimed, “Please extend the program, we have yet to cross (tawid) from the hard life”.<br />
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The Abreneans’ plea can be heard across the country, among beneficiaries of the Philippines’ Pantawid <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_Cash_Transfer" target="_blank">conditional cash transfer (CCT) program</a>—even among those from the first set of beneficiaries who have been enrolled in the program since the start. Five years later, graduation is not an enticing option for the 4Ps beneficiaries. For most, graduating them from the program means actually suspending them in mid-air, assuming they have been moving up to step out of the rut they were in five years ago. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>What graduation means, among others:<br />
<ul>
<li>14-year-old children who were starters in the program would have finished second year high school, and they would now be around 19 years old.</li>
<li>0-5 year-olds should have completed the immunization requirements, and are better protected from measles, polio, diphteria, and other diseases.</li>
<li>Starters between 6-13 years old, would have made the ‘tawid’ or cross from one grade to the next, their parents not having had to worry about their ‘baon’ or spending money for school for 5 years, thereby assuring a higher rate of school participation. </li>
<li>Babies would have been delivered more safely at the health centers and RHUs.</li>
<li>Parents have better parenting skills, are able to prepare more nutritious meals, participate in community affairs, and manage their time. </li>
</ul>
All of these are empowering, and all of these, each family is supposed to have achieved by the end of the program.<br />
<br />
Why then the request to not graduate, to extend and expand the program? I closed the conversation with more questions (even if only in my mind). What will it take to “graduate” from immobilizing poverty… and how long is it supposed to take?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<br />
<i>Emy Perez coordinates the Extractive Industries Program of ANSA-EAP. She is currently documenting the results of the Northern Luzon Coalition for Good Governance’s citizen monitoring of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Abra. </i><b><br /></b>ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-1237933553777764522013-07-22T10:00:00.000+08:002013-07-22T13:06:31.148+08:00Comparing governance assessment frameworks and methodologies: Lessons for developing a social accountability index (part 2)by Randee C. Cabaces and Aldrich Telebrico<br />
ANSA–EAP Research Team<br />
<br />
Part 2 of 2<br />
<br />
In the <a href="http://voices.ansa-eap.net/2013/07/comparing-governance-assessment.html" target="_blank">first installment</a> of this blog post, we shared our initial observations of existing governance indexes and social accountability assessment frameworks.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, here are some of our initial reflections and thinking about the social accountability (SAc) index:<br />
<ul>
<li>Our analyses point to possible considerations in establishing a niche for the SAc index. First off, there seems to be some space for a regional assessment framework in East Asia and Pacific. We need to inquire though if there are enough bases for such cross-country measurement. Looking at how accountability is viewed, the SAM in Tanzania provides an excellent peg for a more citizen-oriented assessment approach. Finally, our preference for a simple but comprehensive tool means a SAc index would probably rely more on direct data from stakeholders, and include both input and result indicators.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Our colleague’s initial idea of having “citizens measuring government performance” as an indicator could be a good one. But, as what the comparative review above tells us, we need some balance between input (or process) and result indicators. Adopting this perspective, we put forward the following comments:<a name='more'></a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gOzYnXIIayPpYaBOTEw5cvIIMsSZJI3LE60kRfOELwGXl5VKM2yU9r6Z47bwnrbXHfbyjyPaGmuzISD1V-tseGw6PNqSA_m3UheIwvqX_JYn_tv2OJtfTxG1pNdplkPcTKYkSn7MUzKv/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gOzYnXIIayPpYaBOTEw5cvIIMsSZJI3LE60kRfOELwGXl5VKM2yU9r6Z47bwnrbXHfbyjyPaGmuzISD1V-tseGw6PNqSA_m3UheIwvqX_JYn_tv2OJtfTxG1pNdplkPcTKYkSn7MUzKv/s400/RCabaces_blog+article5.png" height="296" width="500" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Why do we need to assess the SAc situation in a given locality, a particular country, or within the EAP region? Perhaps this is the first important question to tackle, and one that would have implications to the design of the assessment framework and tools. Oslo Governance Centre’s spectrum of objectives for doing a governance assessment (customized to SAc) could provide a good starting point in answering this:</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvcOGFDGdw7g6JlAGxgtC-YFR1uj_t2AncxvCDRg_BM5BYdRyjfDNgOixaPJ-iitYzVp7ybDJ64FPG5MOMfr1sMviCqzojR4_WqvhgR7N4Mb2dp536pJZBmXMNILw2qrO90FsTlhXiOTA/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvcOGFDGdw7g6JlAGxgtC-YFR1uj_t2AncxvCDRg_BM5BYdRyjfDNgOixaPJ-iitYzVp7ybDJ64FPG5MOMfr1sMviCqzojR4_WqvhgR7N4Mb2dp536pJZBmXMNILw2qrO90FsTlhXiOTA/s400/RCabaces_blog+article6.png" height="150" width="500" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>It is within the context of the proposed SAc index or assessment framework serving as a mechanism for stakeholder dialogue that the more normative aspect of such a project comes to the fore. In other words, apart from asking what the SAc index’s use or value will be for network partners, it is important also to ask what the regional secretariat’s agenda is for this project. We propose the following: 1) Provide push towards scaling up of SAc initiatives (through expansion of focus to other PFM spheres, and aggregation of findings for policy work); 2) Promote enhanced focus on the rights and interests of poor, women, and other vulnerable groups (in selecting areas for monitoring, customizing the tools, mobilizing groups, evaluating results); 3) Facilitate more programmatic learning and knowledge sharing as strategies for sustained SAc practice.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Other concerns: 1) Partnership building as aspect of the SAc index development process, towards ensuring buy in and substantive participation; 2) Coming out with a good mix of methods for data collection and analysis; 3) Inclusion of poverty- and gender-sensitive indicators (voice, power to influence decision-making, access to services, control over productive assets, etc.); 4) Building capacities for data gathering, collaborative analysis, and strategic communication of assessment results.</li>
</ul>
We would love to read your reactions, comments, and suggestions here in the coming days.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>References:</b><br />
<br />
Capuno, Joseph J. and Maria Melody S. Garcia 2008. <b>Can information about local government performance induce civic participation? Evidence from the Philippines</b>. A UP School of Economics discussion paper (Discussion Paper No. 0808, August 2008). University of the Philippines Diliman: Quezon City, Philippines.<br />
<br />
Global Integrity 2011. <b>Global Integrity Report: 2011 Methodology White Paper</b>. Global Integrity: Washington, USA and Cape Town, South Africa.<br />
<br />
Hyden, Goran, Kenneth Mease, Marta Foresti, and Verena Fritz 2008. <b>Working paper 287: Governance assessments for local stakeholders: What the World Governance Assessment (WGA) offers</b>. Overseas Development Institute (ODI): London.<br />
<br />
Kemitraan Partnership (No year). <b>Partnership Governance Index: An Overview</b>. Kemitraan Partnership: Jakarta, Indonesia. Downloaded from http://www.dephut.go.id<br />
<br />
Policy Forum Tanzania 2007. <b>Addendum to the PF Strategy Paper: Incorporating Social Accountability Monitoring</b>. Policy Forum: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Downloaded from the Policy Forum website (http://www.policyforum-tz.org).<br />
<br />
Transparency International. <b>Corruption Perceptions Index 2012: Short Methodology Note</b>. From TI website (http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/overview).<br />
<br />
UNDP Oslo Governance Centre 2009. <b>A User’s Guide to Measuring Local Governance</b>. UNDP Oslo Governance Centre: Oslo, Norway.<br />
<br />
United Nations Development Programm (UNDP) 2008. <b>Methodology for measuring the index of responsibility, transparency, and accountability (RTA) at local level</b>. UNDP: Skopje.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-73120041707198213422013-07-15T10:00:00.000+08:002013-07-15T14:51:02.762+08:00Five on a Five-Point Scaleby Raymond de Asis<br />
<br />
I never thought I would do volunteer work right after getting my undergraduate degree. I saw myself getting a job with the government right away, beating the election ban and hitting the ground running and in time for the new set of local government officials. I had a plan, but things don’t always go as planned.<br />
<br />
Demanding that the government do its job (efficiently and effectively) is hard; getting them to welcome citizen involvement in their work is even harder. The process is tedious, and when you finally get them to agree, they could change their mind in the blink of an eye. <br />
<br />
As far as volunteer opportunities go, it’s also not as familiar as feeding the children or building classrooms or houses. It also involves a lot more paperwork. Still, I think it’s important – important enough to give time to instead of enjoying what is possibly my last real summer vacation. All in all, the decision wasn’t that hard to make.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I discovered ANSA–EAP through my work with <a href="http://www.checkmyschool.org/" target="_blank">Checkmyschool.org</a>, one of their big projects. Being interested in development work, particularly governance, I saw an opportunity to learn while contributing to the social accountability effort. Shortly after graduation, I began working as a volunteer for the Executive Director’s office, the big boss. He was a great boss, and made sure I had good exposure to the other projects. What I went through taught me a few things - how strictly details should be monitored, how small decisions can have large effects down the road, and that sometimes you just have to take the plunge and take it on faith.<br />
<br />
I also acquired some new skills, and found out exactly how fast I could work after a particularly fun night out. It took no prodding from anyone; just bad decision-making after office hours. I’m happy to say that it didn’t affect the quality of my work or the punctuality of my submission. <br />
<br />
Of more important note, though, were the people I got to work with. For a time, I was considering joining them full-time and officially – but I knew I had to stick to my plan. I’ll be seeing some of them a lot, though, and this I am sure of. I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer, and I would probably find myself back here, one way or another. <br />
<br />
After all, they need more good-looking guys in the office.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
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<i>Raymond is a recent graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines (AB Interdisciplinary Studies). When he’s not volunteering in ANSA-EAP, he’s busy lifting heavy weights, eating lots of beef, and having a good time while preparing to take on the daunting task of being a good public servant in the Philippines.</i>ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3346485042395037180.post-22616300449415744392013-07-09T14:53:00.005+08:002013-07-09T16:21:47.123+08:00Comparing governance assessment frameworks and methodologies: Lessons for developing a social accountability (SAc) index<br />
by Randee C. Cabaces and Aldrich Telebrico<br />
ANSA–EAP Research Team<br />
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Part 1 of 2<br />
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We recently did a review of some governance indexes and social accountability assessment frameworks. Apart from those that we were more familiar with, like World Bank’s <a href="http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/index.asp" target="_blank">Worldwide Governance Indicators</a> (WGI), Transparency International’s <a href="http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/" target="_blank">Corruption Perceptions Index</a> (CPI), and Global Integrity’s <a href="http://www.globalintegrity.org/report" target="_blank">Global Integrity Report</a> (GIR), we randomly selected those that came out of a cursory online search and which we deemed would have some interesting lessons for us in terms of developing ANSA-EAP’s own social accountability (SAc) monitoring and measurement tool.<br />
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Out of the ten (10) indexes and assessment frameworks that we examined, four (4) were global in scope, proposing some measures for governance quality that were supposed to be applicable across countries and regions. One (1), the <a href="http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/interact/" target="_blank">Ibrahim Index of African Governance</a> (IIAG), provided a regional assessment framework for African countries. Two (2) outlined a national framework for comparing governance quality across component provinces and municipalities. Three (3) of the assessment tools were primarily meant for application at the local level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtrhcywnxH8Ep4pUd1Hh41-ZlXLRr8laIynT_0VrStvwXuq4XSOXu6GcaH4OwmxGiLrXpMJYWrXJG7n3DRDGJSmPXNm0h_eiqD-7alo7nNi3NxQhpm3dEzpLLqiicAw_mMmF9LF3IjJWX/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtrhcywnxH8Ep4pUd1Hh41-ZlXLRr8laIynT_0VrStvwXuq4XSOXu6GcaH4OwmxGiLrXpMJYWrXJG7n3DRDGJSmPXNm0h_eiqD-7alo7nNi3NxQhpm3dEzpLLqiicAw_mMmF9LF3IjJWX/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article.png" /></a></div>
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Some initial observations, findings, and analyses:<br />
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<li>Most of the indexes and assessment frameworks view accountability from the so-called “supply side” – i.e., government having internal mechanisms for effective checks and balances, being more responsive to citizen needs or demands, or providing information and spaces for constructive engagement. Only two (2) – GIR and Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM) – have clear bias for measuring the capacities of ordinary citizens and citizen groups to articulate their demands, monitor the government’s performance, and hold public officials accountable for their decisions and actions.</li>
<li>Majority of the indexes and assessment frameworks used ground-level data gathering methods. These included monitoring visits with local governments and communities, interviews with so-called “well-informed persons” (WIPs), securing official documents and records (e.g., minutes, budgets, financial reports, etc.), household surveys, experts’ scorecards, reporters’ notebooks, perception surveys with citizen groups. Four (4) of the ten assessment tools relied on indexing or surveys done by other groups.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iwAfRL9p0sdYO_CvkCGIfYqTPc3Z6FhMHRodgMwFnLaBPCxaVrx5GHVgWwajdqKFzMHNEt5l7Z4jUxcToDqR1nGkY1aF3k0dVlhf6_N_8WYMAuHC109AaVaP94WAoQtl02daHWQ215v-/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iwAfRL9p0sdYO_CvkCGIfYqTPc3Z6FhMHRodgMwFnLaBPCxaVrx5GHVgWwajdqKFzMHNEt5l7Z4jUxcToDqR1nGkY1aF3k0dVlhf6_N_8WYMAuHC109AaVaP94WAoQtl02daHWQ215v-/s1600/RCabaces_blog+article2.png" /></a><br />
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<li>Seven (7) out of the ten indexes and assessment frameworks that we reviewed tried to go beyond measurement of what were considered to be important inputs and processes for good governance, and have brought in some indicators on results or impact. These were primarily in terms of improved governance practices, better public services, and enhanced welfare and protection of rights. Some, like the Good Governance for Local Development (GOFORDEV), put government impact squarely up front.</li>
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We’re sure that our colleagues and partners in SAc would have some issues on how we placed those colored ovals in the graphs. No doubt they can draw out more lessons from the matrix that we prepared to compare the different governance indexes and assessment methodologies (see <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7CiIxD4lnZ7al92OUNKNWJNQVk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">attached file</a>). We do encourage everyone to revisit our data and findings, validate or enhance our analysis, and post comments or questions here. This is in line with our goal of making ANSA-EAP’s research initiatives more participatory and iterative.<br />
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In the second part of this blog, we share our initial reflections about the SAc index.<br />
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ANSA-EAPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506817787533476066noreply@blogger.com0