Improving Governance

There are two basic kinds of CSOs that help strengthen governance. First, “watchdog” organizations expose and prevent corruption by public sector officials and employees. Second, CSOs that monitor public sector programs evaluate performance, such as the quality and distribution of government services, and circulate that information to the media and the broader public.

However, the Bank’s rhetoric promoting this kind of civic engagement has far outpaced its progress with actual operations. In practice we have achieved little to directly encourage and support civic engagement for improving governance. Most of the Bank’s governance work is “top down,” focusing on technical administrative programs and judicial reform programs. While this work is important, it could be much more effective when combined with civic engagement that pressures for real changes.

Some governments throughout the ECA region may need to be convinced of the value of civic engagement as an instrument that can improve governance. Demonstrating successful OECD and European Union experiences might be particularly persuasive, especially for countries that are interested in joining these international structures. At the same time, Bank staff need to frankly acknowledge that some ECA governments have no interest in improving governance and will be sure to undermine any initiatives whose purpose is to increase public accountability.

While CSO involvement in governance programs is important, citizens themselves are the actors who ultimately hold their government accountable. Therefore, programs such as information dissemination, the establishment of recourse systems, and reporting mechanisms to channel feedback (report cards, focus groups) are useful instruments for focusing the attention of the general public. When CSOs are involved, such programs often require capacity building among government leaders, media, and citizen representatives. Partnership with donors who provide technical assistance funds for capacity building (as in the Ukraine People’s Voice project) can be helpful.