Social Accountability in Aid Delivery

Social 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.

Involving citizens and/or citizen groups[1] in aid interventions—from project development to the implementation and assessment stages—will lead to:

1. more context-sensitive risk assessment and mitigation measures by accounting for the informal institutions that shape governance decisions, activities, and transactions; and 
2.  increase accountability and transparency in project/program-related implementation, both of which will result in greater developmental impact.