Engineering Professional

"Social accountability encompasses a broad array of methods and practices. These practices may be initiated by a wide range of actors (citizens, CSO's, communities, government agencies, parliamentarians or media), use diverse strategies (research, monitoring, planning, civic education, media coverage, coalition building), employ formal and informal sanctions, and vary according to the extent to which they are institutionalized, independent and collaborative. Social accountability can be enhanced ex ante through citizen and civil society participation in formulating public policies and plans.  Examples include participatory policy-making (for example, the participatory formulation of poverty reduction strategies) and participatory development planning.  In many countries, civil society actors also play a key role in reviewing, critiquing, and building public awareness about policies and plans in key areas such as gender equity, environmental protection, youth, emp