About the ANSA networksThe Affi liated Networks for Social Accountability

(ANSA) bridge the gap between the growing body

of knowledge in the fi eld of social accountability

and the current capacity of practitioners, civil

society, and government to effectively apply the

concept to policy and program design. The ANSA

model creates and supports regional networks

of practitioners—both governmental and non-

governmental—in the fi eld of social accountability.

Beginning with the creation of ANSA-Africa in

2006, the ANSA network has grown to include

ANSA-East Asia/Pacifi c and ANSA-South Asia,

along with a Global Partnership Fund housed in

ANSA-SA to promote cross-regional collaboration

and foster the development of ANSAs in additional

regions. While their work is varied, the ANSAs are

linked by their common goal of equipping civil

society and ordinary citizens with the skills

necessary to play a more active role in bringing

about more accountable governance.

The ANSA networks work in a variety of ways,

specifi cally to:

• Build capacity through training and skills-building on social accountability

• Provide a knowledge platform for dissemination of best-practices

• Facilitate networking and regional exchanges among practitioners to strengthen capacity

• Provide technical assistance and grants to practitioners engaged in demand-side governance initiatives

• Conduct and disseminate research on social accountability

ANSA East Asia Pacific (http://www.ansa-eap.net) is headquartered at the

Ateneo School of Government in the Philippines. Formally

launched in February 2008, ANSA-EAP will initially focus

on four priority countries: Cambodia, the Philippines,

Mongolia and Indonesia. Formal partnerships with a local lead institution in each

country will be established and a “network fellow” put in place to advance both in-

country and regional networks. To date, formal partnerships have been established

and network fellows put in place in the Philippines and Cambodia.

ANSA-EAP, among other activities, has sponsored a series of “Social Accountability

Schools” in Cambodia, in which participants were trained in social accountability

theory and tools. Graduates participate in an ongoing mentoring program and a

follow-up social accountability immersion program in the Philippines. The network

has also provided grants to four small-scale social accountability initiatives in

Cambodia and the Philippines, fi nalized social accountability assessments in

Cambodia and the Philippines and launched networking activities in Mongolia.

Research is currently underway on the cost-benefi t of social accountability

approaches and the role of social accountability in extractive industries.

ANSA-EAP will focus on the key sectors of public infrastructure, education, health,

and the environment in the upcoming year, and host its fi rst regional stakeholders

conference.

ANSA South Asia, launched in March 2009,

is the newest of the ANSAs. Hosted by the Institute of

Governance Studies (IGS) under BRAC University in

Dhaka, Bangladesh, it aims to strengthen the institutional

capacity of IGS, BRAC University as a regional leader and

global player, build the capacity of select country-based

organizations and practitioners and develop a roster of

practitioners for both Bank and non-Bank programs.

ANSA-SA will support networking activities, including

action-research, development of cases studies and curriculum for government and

civil society, training trainers to use such materials, and conducting workshops to

exchange ideas and experiences. ANSA-SA will also house the Global Partnership

Fund, the platform for collaboration and cooperation among all of the regional ANSA

networks.

ANSA SOUTHA S I A

The Aff i l ia ted Networks for Socia l Accountabi l i ty

www.ansa-africa.net

www.ansa-eap.net

The Aff i l ia ted Networks for

Socia l Accountabi l i ty

ANSAs in Action

ANSA Africa (http://www.ansa-africa.net/)

is headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa, at IDASA. Since

its fi rst stakeholder conference in 2006, the ANSA Africa

network has grown to include 2,300 members from 39

countries across the continent. Highlights of its operations

include:

• Publication of a monthly newsletter in English, French, and Portuguese highlighting developments in the fi eld of social accountability in Africa

• Preparation of an African Sourcebook on social accountability in partnership with the South African Institute for International Affairs

• Hosting of a regional stakeholders conference for 130 delegates from 27 African countries in Ethiopia in May 2008

• Sponsoring of monthly video conferencing series among local government offi cials in eight African countries

• Support to regional conferences on participatory budgeting in Anglophone and Francophone Africa

• Preparation of Africa Social Accountability Profi les (ASAPs) in seven African countries

• Technical assistance and project support to social accountability pilot projects in Ethiopia

• Support to social accountability conferences and seminars in, Madagascar, Lesotho, and Ethiopia

• Partnerships with multilateral organizations, donors, private corporations, and foundations, such as the World Bank, GTZ, DFID, IDRC, and Google.org, among others

In 2009, ANSA-Africa will offer core learning programs via the Internet and other

pedagogical approaches on social accountability, and establish formal partnerships

with sub-regional institutions in Francophone and Lusophone Africa. It will continue to

grow its membership, offering a platform for knowledge exchange and innovation and

developing a database of expertise that can be called upon from across the continent

and globally.

Growing a Global MovementThe ANSA networks are just a beginning to what will hopefully be a quickly-emerging

global movement that develops a cadre of well-trained and highly effective

social accountability practitioners around the world. As the ANSA model is

continually refi ned and perfected, it will be more easily replicated and scaled up.

In the coming years, similar models will be supported in Latin America and the

Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Europe and Central Asia. While

home-grown approaches to social accountability are already being practiced in these

regions, the ANSA networks will consolidate regional knowledge and serve as a

central clearinghouse for more productive partnerships and exchanges both regionally

and globally.

The Global Partnership Fund will be the global platform for the growing ANSA

network family, enabling collective outreach, effective monitoring and evaluation, and

institutional capacity-building and advisory services to countries that belong to existing

regional networks as well as countries that do not currently have ANSA network

resources. The existing ANSA networks will also work more closely in the upcoming

months, holding regular videoconferences, sharing work plans and strategies, and

attending capacity-building seminars to feed back into their respective regional

networks. ANSA Africa Mario Claasen Economic Governance ProgrammeIDASACnr Visagie and PrinslooPretoria, South Africamclaasen@idasa.org.za+2712-392-0500

ANSA East Asia Pacifi cDr. Angelita Gregorio-MedelAteneo School of GovernmentPacifi co Ortiz HallAteneo de Manila UniversityLoyola Heights, Katipunan AvenueQuezon City 1108, Philippinesagregoriomedel@yahoo.com

ANSA South AsiaManzoor HasanInstitute of Governance StudiesBRAC University40/6, North Avenue, Gulshan-2 Dhaka 1212, Bangladeshigs-info@bracu.ac.bd88 02 8810306

World Bank InstituteMary McNeilSenior Operations Offi cer1818 H St NWWashington, DC 20433 USAmmcneil@worldbank.org+1.202.473.3861(for ANSA Africa and ANSA East Asia Pacifi c)

Karen SirkerSocial Development Specialist1818 H St NWWashington, DC 20433 USA+1.202.458.2362ksirker@worldbank.org1202.458.2362(for ANSA South Asia and the Global Partnership Fund)

For more information

The people have a right to know, a right to question, a collective Constitutional right to receive an answer.

– Aruna Roy, MKSS

Why Social Accountability?Around the world, countries are plagued by what is often called a

“governance crisis.” One aspect of this crisis is the

powerlessness that many citizens feel on a daily basis—a lack of

connection to the institutions that provide for the public good, a lack of

infl uence in the governing process, and a lack of voice for expressing

demands. There is a growing recognition that strengthening citizen

involvement in government—or the “demand-side” of governance—is

a critical element in enhancing the accountability of public offi cials,

strengthening public institutions, reducing corruption and leakage of public

funds and improving public service delivery.

The concept of “social accountability” has developed out of

this recognition. Social accountability approaches enable citizens to work

with governments in a productive, meaningful way by using a variety of

tools that enable citizen’s voices to go from “shouting to counting.” To

date, these tools range from simple “social audits” in which government

independently evaluates its performance by monitoring the views of its

constituents, to more formal mechanisms such as citizen-generated

“report cards” on public service delivery and formal budget reviews and

analyses conducted by civil society.

A free media, vibrant civil society, engaged local communities, and an independent citizenry are crucial components for good governance: they have a unique place with respect to holding governments accountable for delivering better services, creating jobs, and improving living standards.

– Strengthening Bank Group Engagement on Governance and Anti-Corruption,

September 2006

The main difference between success and failure is… the degree to which poor people themselves are involved in determining the quality and the quantity of the services they receive.

– World Development

When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion

– Ethiopian proverb