Topic Guide: Corruption in Service Delivery

Claudia Baez Camargo, Franziska Stahl. 2016. Social Accountability: A Practitioner’s Handbook. http://transparency.am/files/publications/1457166569-0-814669.pdf

This handbook produced by the Basel Institute on Governance is meant to be used in conjunction with the handbook on participatory monitoring (see below). It has been developed as a tool to support those who wish to engage citizens in anti-corruption activities and is based on the findings of extensive research on the topic, which have been synthesised in the form of an assessment framework and methodology that capture the main elements that play a role in enabling the success of social accountability initiatives. These elements may be summarised as promoting changes in both supply and demand for corruption, addressing problems that are perceived as important and highly significant by the actors involved, and building upon locally legitimate accountability mechanisms. The understanding of the local context (including attributes such as institutional trust, social capital, community values and norms) is also a key factor contributing to the success of such initiatives, as well as the need to match the characteristics of the intended beneficiary communities to appropriate social accountability tools and approaches.

Claudia Baez Camargo, Franziska Stahl. 2016. Participatory Monitoring: A Practitioner’s Handbook. http://transparency.am/files/publications/1457167104-0-304807.pdf

This handbook produced by the Basel Institute on Governance provides practitioners with a practical guide to the elements and steps necessary to develop a citizen monitoring programme. It has been tailored based on the experiences of experienced implementers in citizen monitoring initiatives as well as drawing from resources on the topic that have been made publicly available by development agencies. To illustrate the operationalisation of some key concepts, the handbook builds on the participatory monitoring experiences of G-Watch in the Philippines, specifically regarding the implementation of an agricultural subsidies monitoring programme – BULHON sa Panguma (BULHON) – in San Miguel, Bohol. After introducing the concept of participatory monitoring, the handbook provides guidance on the various steps involved in implementing such activities, including preparatory activities, engagement and capacity building of project participants, implementing the monitoring and post-monitoring activities.

Claire Mcloughlin and Zoe Scott. 2014. Service Delivery: Topic Guide. Birmingham, UK: GSDRC, University of Birmingham. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/topic-guides/service-delivery/

This topic guide was first developed in 2007 and updated in 2014. It addresses equitable access to service delivery with a heavy focus on corruption and governance problems. It provides an overview of the best available evidence on inclusive service delivery, including lessons from cases where aid has been effective at addressing weak frontline incentives, where services have been delivered in very difficult environments, or where access has been expanded equitably over time. The topic guide features descriptions of the general barriers to equitable access to services, surveys and data related to the issue, and a compendium of common approaches to guarantee equitable access.

UNESCO. 2005. E-Government Toolkit for Developing Countries. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001394/139418e.pdf

This E-Government Toolkit aims to strengthen the understanding of stakeholders involved in the planning and execution of e-government projects. It offers an action framework involving all the stakeholders in developing nations to guide them through various phases in their e-government initiatives. It covers the various aspects of initiating, implementing and sustaining e-government programmes in any developing nation, from defining the concept of e-government and discussing the e-readiness and e-government action plan to technology, infrastructure, capacity building as well as legislative and regulatory framework. Further, a number of case studies are discussed to provide successful examples of e-government initiatives, the challenges faced and how they were addressed.