Day 362: Accountablilty Lab
The Accountability Lab is an independent, non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst to make power-holders responsible in the developing world.
A sounding board, listening to, analyzing and reflecting upon accountability concerns;
An independent interface, engaging citizens across contexts and issues;
An operational hub, supporting innovative, collaborative and sustainable accountability tools and communities.
Through this approach, the Lab bolsters efforts to address the causes rather than the symptoms of poverty, exclusion and violence.
Lack of accountability- of power-holders and decision-makers to citizens- saps trust, undermines opportunity and perpetuates inequalities. In difficult environments, if relationships of accountability are not in place this can lead to poverty, exclusion and violence.
The Lab supports the accountability of power-holders as this leads to more responsible decisions and actions. The result, in turn, is more efficient use of resources and improved lives for citizens. Expectations for reform can then increase accordingly, ensuring further demand for accountability. This is not a linear or neat process- and is often beset by difficult problems- but it can result in a virtuous circle of change.
The Accountability Lab partners with civil society organizations in the developing world to build sustainable tools for new and innovative approaches to bolster accountability. The organization works to generate cost-effective relationships based on trust and cooperation rather than co-optation and dependency.
Listens to problems related to accountability, and analyzes core concerns within specific contexts through careful outreach. Too often, interventions are supply-driven and do not fit with on-the-ground needs or dynamics;
Recognizes valuable accountability practices across countries and builds partnerships to deploy new tools, with an emphasis on experimentation and learning from failure. In many cases, knowledge is not shared or translated into reality, and experience is not sufficiently internalized;
Engages relevant actors and builds communities of "accountapreneurs" that can curate and propagate alternative ideas to allow for scale and impact. Collective solutions to shared issues of accountability are hindered when targeted support is not strategic, timely or durable.
The Accountability Lab is focusing on areas of accountability that are critical to positive reform but are not given sufficient attention or are misunderstood. Too often, accountability is thought about in terms of financial corruption. While this is important, the environment for problems of this sort are defined by a broader set of accountabilities - relating to behaviors and decision-making.
The Lab is focusing on difficult contexts with strategic importance and identified entry points for positive reform. The pilot countries are Nepal and Liberia, with further roll-out expected in 2014. An important part of the work is based on the premise that there is not enough understanding or sharing of knowledge on issues of accountability across varied contexts.
