John Samuel
Economic Literacy and Budget Accountability
for Governance (ELBAG) is an approach promoted by citizens and Civil Society Organizations
to monitor government budgets, economic policies and decision making for just
and democratic governance. It is a part of a citizen's movement to seek
accountability for Governance.
Citizens groups, social movements and Civil Society Organizations in more than 30 countries- in Africa, Asia and Latin America are using the ELBAG approach and people -centred methodologies to promote democratization, justice and public accountability. The ELBAG process enables citizen alliances and communities to monitor and assess governance and claim their socio-economic rights.
What is ELBAG?
Economic Literacy and Budget
Accountability for Governance (ELBAG) is a process and framework that combine
various methods and tools such as organizing people, developing grass-roots monitoring
mechanisms, democratizing knowledge (particularly on governance and political
economy) and using participatory means for building public accountability and
transparency.
It creates space where people can discuss
economy and politics, and use it as an entry point to build inclusive and
authentic democracy. The aim is to ensure participation of poor and
excluded, facilitate empowerment of people, reduce corruption, increase
accountability in the processes of governance and policy making, particularly
with regard to budget formulation, execution and public policy.
Economic Literacy
Economic Literacy
is the ability to understand and respond to the economic conditions and factors
that affect ones life, society and political process. Economic Literacy enables
one to understand how he/she is contributing to the larger economy and how economic
resources are accumulated, distributed and how local, national and
international economic forces determines his/her on choices, conditions of
living and broader societal trends. It also gives a perspective about the role
of public finance and budget in setting the agenda and process of governance.
An Economic
Literacy based on the notion of Economic Justice and Human Rights should ask the following key questions:
I What Does
Economy DO FOR People?
II. What Does
Economy DO TO People?
III. How do people
participate in it?
IV. Who sets the
Economic Agenda?, Where it is being planned and process?, and How does an economy operate through and in
the lives of ordinary people?
v. How does
Economy affect Human Rights and Human Dignity?
VI. How pubic
budget and public finance priorities are formed? How do people participate in
budgetary process and budget governance?
VII. How to
challenge Economic injustice and how do we work towards just and better
alternatives?
VIII. How do we
democratize the knowledge of Economy and economic policy so that people can
challenge and change unjust economic policies , practice and power
relationships at various levels.
The ELBAG- Approach
1.Popular Mobilization
The ELBAG process promotes popular mobilization, bringing people together to claim social, economic and ecological justice. The ELBG process seeks to promote social mobilization through dialogues between various stake-holders, public debates and collective action to influence, challenge and change the institutions of governance and process of social and economic development. The social mobilization at the grassroots level help to strengthen the citizens monitoring of governance process, using a variety of people-centred approaches and advocacy both at the micro level and macro levels.
2.Learning- Action Networking: bridging knowledge and grassroots advocacy
ELBAG groups are organized around specific denial of rights or issue such as exclusion and discrimination. Initial engagement is promoted through introducing economic literacy, analysis of local economies and resource flows. Typically groups may discuss their livelihoods and analyze its economics. Groups may study the state of local development – infrastructure, public services such as schools, health centres, extension services etc analyzing how public funds are used, and in the process analyzing their own local area governance. Such collective analysis provides the basis for action to bring about tangible changes at the community level. People’s motivation is maintained through advocacy and campaigning around strengthening grassroots monitoring mechanisms and democratizing knowledge using participatory tools and methods for public accountability.
While learning occurs best in grass-roots advocacy-actions and alternatives are crafted best at frontiers of action, such activity alone may not spontaneously generate a deep understanding of the situation. Conscious educational activities are also important and necessary. Elbag promotes continued education through popular learning resources and communication generated through democratic processes as well as resourced from progressive knowledge platforms.
3.Access to information and Local
Analysis of Economics and Budgets
Information is power. ELBAG promotes people's access to information. Specific budget information and public policy tracking is made available to the people’s monitoring groups at the grass-roots level to demand public accountability. Examples taken from everyday household budgets are used to collectively study bigger governmental processes - such as how key budget decisions are made, how policies such as the privatization of water or health are decided and how the impact of World Trade Organization agreements matters on the life and livelihoods of farmers and workers. Such collective learning creates demand within communities to seek information access. In the process it creates transparency and accountability in both public and private entities. Another important aspect is to develop alternative media and promote such processes through the main stream media.
4.Advocacy for public
accountability using participatory tools and methods
ELBAG aims to put people in leadership of efforts aimed at policy change. Groups are supported to have at their disposal various instruments and tools developed through efforts of movements and NGOs in different parts of the world. Whereas some of the approaches that ELBAG draws on are well established, others are still under formulation. They instruments and tools include: Basic Economic Literacy, Budget Analysis, Social audits, Public hearings, People's report cards/opinion polls and poverty dialogues, participatory budgeting and planning, Reflect methods, assemblies, Community newspapers, radio, and wall papers or other public information processes. ELBAG combines the different methodologies in to an integrated programme of work that addresses issues at local, national and international levels.
5.People-centred advocacy
Platforms: Establishing vertical and horizontal relationships
Community groups and other forums are supported to form vertical and horizontal relationships with the media, think-tanks, platforms and movements to contribute to challenging new modes of neo-liberal discourse and practice that deepen institutional bias in the economic policy and budgetary system in favour of the already powerful.
New forms of collective expression and
solidarity alliance of movements are promoted with a transformational goal. In
this regard, the current economic crisis offers a big opportunity to elaborate
such a collective and unifying programme for change
People-centred Methods and Approaches for
Democratization of Development and Governance.
Lessons and experiences of various movements and peoples groups in
developing, shaping and using instruments and methodologies for just and
democratic governance are crucial. Such people-centred methodologies and
instruments outlined here include: Basic Economic Literacy, Budget Analysis,
Social audits & Public hearings, People's Report Cards/opinion polls,
Poverty Dialogues, Participatory Budgeting and Planning, Reflect and other
Popular conscientisation methods, Assemblies, Community newspapers, radio, and
other Public Information methods. Such processes make known various experiences
of democratic processes to promote innovation and further efforts, as well as
enhance spaces for people to hold governance accountable. In addition,
methodologies for developing social bases and cadres, and continued learning
and education are also shared.
The focus, here is on popular use and development of
methodologies. The more methodologies get refined and technical, the further
they move away from peoples reach, and use. Such emphasis on purity, technique
and jargon is one reason why much of economic analysis, important as it is,
remains outside the knowledge domain of working people and peoples struggles.
Many of the methodologies outlined are
what groups have used to progress democratization of economy, policy and
society in different parts of the world. Their success lies in reconciling
praxis, technology and methodology and placing it in people’s hands.
I.
Economic and Political Literacy
While social learning happens powerfully in struggles for change, conscious
educational and learning opportunities are also necessary to develop a process
for continuity of progress. Social bases and formations for continued learning
need to be nurtured by social goups, movements, political parties, NGOs and
progressive states in order to nurture the true potential of citizenship to
blossom.
At the foundation of methodologies for change, lie the forums for
social consciousness. Economic, political and social literacy forums based on
popular pedagogy can have numerous forms. Some of the more important ones are:
Peasant Schools, Folk Schools, Study Circles, Reflect Circles, Village
Libraries and Peoples Universities.
a) Popular Education and Peasant Schools
Popular Education and
Peasant Schools have played an important role in promoting peasant
conscientisation and empowerment, producing progressive societal leadership. In
countries like Russia, China, and Cuba, Peasant Schools were basically evening
study centres for peasant and youth, which apart from basic literacy and
political economic avenues were spaces for discussion, debate and
politicization. The peasant school idea was at one stage very popular in the
socialist world, with state support to peasant leadership schools. Over the years, peasant schools have gradually
faded away with expansion of neoliberal globalization. Peasant school
methodology and ideas however have contributed strongly in emergence of popular
education among oppressed and marginalized groups. Paulo Friere's works
on Pedagogy and later refinement of popular education models have linkages with
learnings from earlier peasant and folk schools experiments.
In the recent times, the concept of "Peasant School" is
being revived as a method for leadership and struggle construction for economic
justice by peasant movements. Most notably, Via Campesina runs peasants’
schools for capacity development of “activists" in Brazil, Guatemala and
Indonesia. There are two types of peasant schools - residential ones and
community located evening schools. The residential ones (up to one year
courses) have segments on theory and politics, economic literacy and
justice, agriculture and technical aspects of agriculture, as well as those on
cadre and movement building.
b) Folk (high) Schools
These have their origins in the democratic struggle in Denmark in
the 1850-60s and are rooted on the question of relationship between the state,
society and economy. Propelled by the Grundtvigian philosophy and
perception that peoples freedom and democracy were not primarily connected to
state and their institutions but rather to spaces and self management in the
civil society, Folk high schools operated on the principle of "free
schools" where deepening of democracy happened. Peasantry of Denmark, and
other Scandinavian countries played a role in that. The Scandinavian folk
schools have since been used as models for economic, political and cultural
education centres in different parts. Schools for life, as folk schools were
called, have played an interesting role in development of cultural life of
communities as well as promoting independence of economic and political
thinking.
The idea of Folk Schools was radicalized by use of folk school
methods for organizing for struggle. Inspired by the idea of Folk high schools,
Miles Horton (who later wrote with Paulo Freire on leadership for change - We
make the road by walking) in America, developed this idea into Highlander
folk schools and tested this at the time of the coal miners Strike at
Wilder. Highlander folk schools were places for concientisation and labour
movement strengthening, which worked on a premise of peoples leadership,
informed by the philosophy popularized by Horton that " Instead of
thinking that you put pieces together that will add up to a whole,... you have
to start with the premise that they're already together and you try to keep
from destroying life by segmenting it, over-organizing it and dehumanizing
it"
c) Community -Study Circles
Study Circles are spaces for community conscientisation and were
hugely popular across developing world at one stage. Study circles contributed
powerfully to building socially conscious communities and progressive
leadership in the past. Study circles support community leadership and dialogic
learning processes, with or without government support. Study circles operated
on learner centred dialogic processes and while there are no teachers, usually
study circles operated with facilitators to keep the discussions flowing and on
track, with everyone having the opportunity to get involved. Reading materials
and other aids are made available to stimulate dialogue. The key role study
circles played in were in analyzing and finding solutions to economic, social,
political, or community problems and honing leadership for future.
d) Reflect Circles
Reflect is an approach to adult learning and social change, used
by various civil society organizations. It has been used to tackle a wide range
of issues, from peace & reconciliation, to economic justice and community
budget work, to holding government accountable. The Reflect approach links
adult learning to empowerment, and therefore strengthens the voices of poor
people in decision-making at all levels. Having originated as an approach to
adult literacy, Reflect is now a tool for strengthening people's capacity to
communicate through whatever medium is most relevant to them.
Reflect creates a democratic space where people can analyze issues
for themselves. It is a basis for mobilization, which enables us to strengthen
people's own organizations and capacity to advocate for themselves at all
levels. A social audit is an accountability tool to understand, measure,
verify, report on and to improve the performance of the governments.
II. Budget Analysis and Advocacy
Public budgets are an integral part of understanding economic
development. These are important targets for advocating changes on how
governments raise and use resources. Basic understanding and comprehension of
the issue at hand is a necessary pre-condition for engaging in budget analysis.
Budget Analysis and Advocacy assumes a strong knowledge of the history,
content, facts, figures, policy dimensions of the issue to be examined with the
budgetary lens. Further, all available budget information and trends needs to
be collected and collated.
People Centred Budget Analysis is a participatory process
involving people and not limited to economists and experts. For this to happen,
efforts to simplify the budget information for popular usage are also needed.
Such popular discussion gives rise to questions with which current budgets and
budget trends are examined.
For example when analyzing education budgets a few key questions
that need to be ask ed are: What is
the total expenditure incurred on the community school? How much money has been
allocated to add an extra room in the school? What is the expenditure per
student? How does it compare with the well functioning and popular school? What
are the implications of such expenditures on enrolment and retention of
excluded children? What extra resourcing may be needed to promote inclusion and
quality education? How can these extra resources be raised? What policies and Programmes
will need to change in order for that to happen?
Having listed out questions, budget analysts look at the budget
and other statistical and policy information to see whether relevant
information is available and whether we can answer all questions: Next, the
answers obtained are used to examine the issue at hand from the budgetary lens
in order to come up with analysis and a perspective on the issue with the
supplementary budget information. Finally, this analysis is used to formulate
our advocacy strategy and plan of action.
III. Social Audit and Public Hearing,
A social audit helps to narrow gaps between vision/goal and
reality, between efficiency and effectiveness. It values the voice of people,
including marginalized/poor groups whose voices are rarely heard.
Social auditing is taken up for the purpose of enhancing local
governance, particularly for strengthening accountability and transparency in
local bodies. In doing so, Social Auditing leads of review of public revenues
and expenses. It raises questions on how the revenues raised locally, and how
grants and development expenditures are utilized, raising issues about
priorities, process, operationalisation, transparency, efficiency,
effectiveness and accountability of public budgets.
Public Hearings
Public hearings are large gatherings of the entire
community/stakeholders who, in the presence of the representatives of the body
that is accountable, demand accountability and answers from the concerned
representatives. Public hearings are backed by hard evidence collected as part
of social audits. Questions are then put to the representatives on the
discrepancies and deficits between entitlements and actual services and
financing. Large scale corruption issues are brought to the fore-front. They
are a very effective campaign tool for effective and accountable local
governance and democratization of economic decision making and budgets.
IV. Participatory Planning and Budgeting.
The need for participation arises because Government budgets show
the commitment of the Government towards policy and utilization of resources
towards the poor. As citizens of the country and tax-payers (both direct and
indirect) they have a right to know how much is spent on their needs and how?
The process of participation also gives them control over their own resources,
rights, opportunities and watch over the priority setting by governments, thus
making governance more just and democratic.
What does participation in budget entail?
What does participation in planning & budgeting mean for the
communities?
Pathways Ahead:
Monitoring of key national promises at every level of governance
V. Citizen’s Report Card and Transparency Board in Communities.
To enhance social and public accountability Citizen Report
Cards and Transparency Notice Boards can be used.
The use of transparency notice boards helps enhance
information flow in the public domain about budget allocation and expenditure
reviews of public institutions. It raises citizen's awareness about the utilization
of public resources and hence empowers people to seek and demand their
effective and efficient use and minimize local corruption and
misappropriations.
Citizen Report Card are peoples reports on performance of
institutions and public functionaries. Collected through surveys and focused
group discussions Citizen's Report Cards give people the opportunity to
participate in assessing the State's service delivery and public expenditure
through its public agencies such as hospitals, schools and police. For many of
the poor in rural and urban areas this might be the only meaningful opportunity
of this kind. The survey also provides a forum for a citizen-state dialogue.
Other Forms of citizen-state dialogues include public hearings and poverty
dialogues.
VI. Popular Communication and Social Media
Access to information is essential for building real
democracies. People can participate effectively in the economic
sphere only when they are provided with sufficient, truthful and timely
information. On the contrary, one-sided or biased information, may lead
the public to erroneous decisions and actions. The mass media in hands of the
vested and private interests such as the large transnational corporations
rather than informing misinforms.
Popular and Public control over mass media and right to
information are two progressive steps to democratize economic decision making.
Different instruments such as community radios, videos, people’s newspapers,
alternate local and regional media projects have been used to enhance people’s
voice and control over communication and media.
Community Radio
Radio could be wonderful public communication system, imagine a
gigantic system of channels - could be, that is, if it were capable not only of
transmitting, but also of receiving, enabling the listener not just to hear but
also to speak, not isolating but connecting them. - Berthold
Brecht
Community radio is a medium of communication utilized by a group
of people, living within close geographical proximity, sharing socio-culture
heritage and speaking one language. It distinguishes from the mainstream media
by strengthening local culture and communities' participation in all aspects of
broadcasting. The control of design, programming, formats and choice of issues
rests with the communities. Community Radio promotes interactive and dialogical
space for developing collective agendas on various issues.
Community Radios have been put to wide ranging use - from
entertainment to promotion of local cultural traditions to discussion on
constitutional rights and entitlements. Increasingly the instrument of
Community Radio is being utilized for furthering Right to Information and progress
on governance accountability. In this context community radio has been
effectively used to further discussions and demands on use of revenue and
public scrutiny of local budgets.
Several progressive examples of use of Community Radio are
available from around the world. In Nepal this instrument was used to further
the campaign on democracy. In Uganda the Uganda Debt Network uses CR for
disseminating messages on budgets to the community. In Ethiopia CR has been
used by civil society groups to promote dialogues on accountable governance.
Peasant groups in Indonesia have used CR for furthering collective
understanding and generation of advocacy ask s
for sustainable agriculture. The Deccan Development Society (DDS) in India
helps local women from landless farming communities learn both radio and video
production techniques. The Programmes are interactive among the communities
interested in exchanging information.
Broadcasting laws of country may either promote or retard the
development of space for community radio. The regulations thus imposed by
governments are an important area of advocacy around the growth and use of
community radio as one instrument to promote popular conscientisation.
Community Video
Like Community Radios, the
key aspect of Community Video is the transfer of control over choice of
narrative, formats and message to communities. Community members themselves
decide and shoot videos and contribute these to mainstream programming.
One of the important benefits of video technology has been to
strengthen the voices of indigenous grassroots organizations. At various
moments, video productions have played crucial roles in community efforts to
assert land rights, expose human rights violations, or defend women's rights.
Community Video's have also been used for raising public debates on state of
public services, misuse of public funds and corruption. In these aspects
Community Videos, as an example of citizens voice have a potential for use in
political economic literacy and budget advocacy.
Part II.
Case Studies
Following case studies are based on the documentation and inputs by
the local civil society organizations and the researchers of Actionaid in
different countries:
I. ELBAG Approach- in Sri Lanka
Communities in south of Sri Lanka were initially not motivated
enough about the value of budget monitoring; looking at budgeting as a distant
and remote process. As a part of this ELBA process, in 2007, Siyath
Foundation and Centre for Family Services worked with communities in 10 villages
in the Southern district of Galle and in 5 villages in the Kurunegala district
of Wayamba province. The community was made available with an opportunity to
discuss their local development in terms of finances and priorities. The
Economic Literacy and Budget Accountability Group (ELBAG) worked with the
community to assist them to appreciate how local village level projects to
national development, planning, financing and implementation impacts on their
very lives. Training manuals, with responses, regular meetings and inputs from
the villagers were developed. Issues such as governance, local and national
budgets, economy, globalization, community participation, access to
information, state development approaches, etc. were brought to focus during
training and these manual building discussion sessions.
The first step in this ELBAG process was thus working with
communities to strengething their knowledge and building capacity in budgeting
and economic literacy, and then the process was carried forward. 10
villages started to discuss their local development plans and how local public
finances might affect these plans. An interactive exhibition led the community
to discuss proposed development work in their locality with local government
officials in attendance. The discussion led to the formation of a village
committee that undertook further planning of their local work. ELBAG has been
able to nourish democracy and participation in the community. In villages where
ELBAG was carried through by the partner organisations, there is an apparent
assertion of community participation in local governance and widening of such
spaces by the villagers.
II. Community Budget Monitoring- Uganda
ActionAid Uganda focused on building capacities of communities
through building up a cadre of community budget monitors, and formation of citizens’
accountability Watch Groups on the one hand and network and links these to the
national platform. At the National level, a forum of more than 150 different
organizations comes together as Civil Society Budget Accountability/Advocacy
Group (CSBAG) with the explicit purpose of nationally developing citizens and
Civil Society engagement and influence on the nature, process and direction of
the national finance for development and budget processes.
In 2007, 114 Community budget monitors have been trained: two
subcounties of Mbarara district and in Kawempe, Kampala district. The programme
for further training of community budget monitors is underway in one other
county and there are plans to build this on a wider basis. Each group was
trained on reading community budgets and respond to the budgets based on
reading of community needs and agendas. The community budget monitors, in each
case were involved in consulting with the communities on the priorities and
collectively developing responses to local division level budgets.
The community budget monitors reflected their concerns at the Civil Society Budget Accountability Group (CSBAG). In 2007, the CSBAG convened the dialogue guided by a CS BAG position paper. The position paper was developed through a process of analyzing the Budget framework Paper 2007/2008. This increased citizen scrutiny and influence on national budget allocations. The group was also supported to reflect and strategically plan for their budget engagements for the period 2008-2011. “The citizens are beginning to hold government at ‘ransom’, demanding for all kinds of politically driven deliverables,” said Gerald Twijuke, Senior Policy Analyst ACODE.
III. Building Village Development Plan- Afghanistan
By learning to read, make, analyse budgets, communities have been
able to power their struggle in various dimensions; by drawing up their own
developmental plans. Under National Solidarity Plan, Action Aid International
Afghanistan has been working with 74 community development councils (CDC).
Capacity building of the community in budgeting, its analysis, social auditing,
and monitoring & evaluating budget expenditures has enabled the community
to get directly involved in their village development plan, problem
prioritizations and decision making. Representatives in CDCs, especially women
and excluded people within communities have been the channel to attain this.
These CDCs are formed from more then 100 villages and sub villages. Local
community based governance structures or community development council (CDC)
alliance or network are formed at districts levels. New members of CDCs were
elected in a fully democratic election process with participatory of over 75%
of people in villages. 40 members of 20 CDCs in Mordyan district were trained.
26 CDCs are in Khaki jabar district and 48 CDCs are in Sorubi district; all 74
CDCs could develop their community development plans and prioritize their needs
with participation of women during decision making process. 50% of CDCs members
are women – meaning there are 328 out of 659 elected CDC members are women,
representing 5,715 families
IV. Monitoring and Claiming Right to Education- Nigeria
This has been a result of people’s engagement with the public
finance processes in their own community and State level. Of course such
processes have been facilitated by local and national organisations, but
concrete results have been possible by people being hands-on engaged in the
arena of public finance. On the other hand, projects such as borehole, clinic
and block of classrooms for a Junior Secondary School were gained through
advocacy to the government.
In response to the interventions, there has been a remarkable
improvement in employment of school teachers in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara
states. As an effective response that the community was able to push for, by a
studied lobbying effort the Government allocated funds for improvement in
schools facilities through renovation of existing ones and provision of new
ones. 89 new schools were approved in Kebbi state among which 37 were completed
as at June 2007. Also, in Sokoto State, about 3,000 classrooms and 500 staff
quarters were built and/or renovated. The Sokoto SUBEB was given approval
to recruit about 1,000 new teachers. In Zamfara State, the FEB was
mandated to employ up to 260 female teachers, while the Ministry of Education
employed about 580 teachers comprising both male and female. The passage of the
Child Right Act in Edo State was very remarkable through increase advocacy. The
Act stipulates the declaration of the rights of the child to compulsory
education, against all forms of domestic labour, child marriage among
others.
Results
of the engagement in Public Finance Analysis were very obvious in Felande
Community in Kebbi State. In the community, school enrolments increased to a
total of 823 boys and 504 girls in the Junior Secondary School. This was due to
the renovation and construction of facilities like the building of blocks of
classrooms in the community school. And now, there is a Junior Secondary
School, a primary health centre and a functional borehole in the school, which
were also provided with support of the government.
Critical engagement in budget process has also led to improvement
and increase in the budgetary allocations to education sector for the 2008
fiscal year. The government has promised to expend over two hundred billion
naira for the first time, in education programmes. Also the Federal Government
has promised to set aside a proportion of funds to support programmes of direct
intervention on poverty reduction through out the country. This development it
is hoped would translate to improvement in the living standard and condition of
poor and excluded in the country.
V. Tracking Education Budget – Ghana
With the government’s introduction of the capitation grant (free
education) and school feeding programme in public schools in Ghana, it is
important for school management systems to be transparent to ensure that funds
meant for educating children are not abused. Therefore the participation of
everyone in all decision making processes is critical to bring about the
changes in the lives of school going children. In the year under review, CALID,
a partner in the North West regional programme, intensified the tracking of the
supply of textbooks to schools, their availability for use by students as well
as the management of capitation grant by schools in the Tamale metropolis.
Sensitization to solicit communities’ involvement in the tracking
of resources in basic schools was done in collaboration with the media. These
activities created awareness among right holders for them to play their roles
in the acquisition of these rights. Radio discussions on resource tracking by
communities were held in 16 schools in 12 communities in collaboration with
CALID and Diamond FM, a local FM station based in Tamale. This programme
generated keen interest in communities in school governance especially with
respect to the use of resources allocated to schools. This interest is
evidenced by the numerous allegations of malfeasance made by community members
against basic school management in communities. The impact of this initiative
has been that in most communities in the region, school managers are now wary
of this “community eye” and have intensified record keeping particularly on the
use of capitation grant.
VI. Fighting Corruption- Nepal
In the Banke district of Nepal, village groups overseeing the
accounts of Channahwa’s Nepal Rashtriya Primary School claimed back NPR 4500
from the school management committee members.
They had pocketed this money from a sale of teak tree on the
school compound.
Similarly in Bankatti village of the province, another monitoring
group caught the village development society (VDC) secretary, who on behalf of
the VDC had tendered 46 teak trees for NPR 2,30,000/- . He had showed the
final settlement of NPR 1, 20,000, pocketing the remaining NPR 1,10,000/-. The
VDC secretary had tendered a public apology and a final decision on next steps
was being deliberated.
Sthaniya Swarojgar Kendra & Center for Social Development and
Research, local organisations of Nepal, have been working with the tools of
economic literacy and budget accountability for governance (ELBAG). They have
been supporting the orientation of community on local municipality budgets and budget
accountability on several issues, primary among them being the appropriateness
of budget in terms of its focus to poor people and particular social groups and
in terms of transparency and integrity of implementation. In the last seven
months several community groups have been supported to analyse local budgets
and anomalies and irregularities. These groups comprise of Village Development
Committee members, School committee members and representatives of political
parties, with encouragement being given especially to women.
Building an understanding of the processes of economic decision
making in their own units of local governance people are organizing to their
way to push for a ‘substantive’ participation from a ‘formal’ one. The
Ratnanagar Municipality has for instance now passed a resolution of setting up
a procurement committee. Final payments are done after social audits, and a
complaint mechanism has also been strengthened. These peoples groups, getting
organised around economic literacy and budget accountability for governance
(elbag) work, apart from recouping stolen public funds, influencing VDC and
other development spending towards the poor and their priorities has made the
people more watchful and encouraged them to take their measures on all
development works. In Padampur and in Jutepani villages, for instance, the
groups have ask ed for VDC budgets to
be made public, and also details of budget allocation by wards, and have been
raising the political question of who benefits? In Jutepani, the VDC council
invited the ELBAG group to participate in the budget and implementation
discussions, and groups were successful in influencing the priorities on access
road and drinking water for the benefit of poor. Similarly in Jutepani village
priority has been given to landless community members in allocating funds for
public land development works. In Padampur village social audits of deep boring
scheme and analysis of income-expenditure statements of VDC led to discovery of
missing NPR 35,000/- from the VDC funds. Some villages came together to review
the programmes implemented by VDC and other agencies from the resources of TAAL
(terrain land and irrigation programme). In one of these NPR 20 lac schemes
(where communities had contributed NPR 14 lacs by the way of labour) NPR 1.48
lacs has been unaccounted for. The president of this group has been held
accountable and NPR 11,000 has been recovered thus far. It is a work in
progress, with only the first steps undertaken. Systematization of efforts, and
promoting methodologies to develop processes of participatory budgeting are the
next priorities of organization and its community facilitators in Chitwan.
Women and Dalits fight for their Budget- Nepal
Processes of economic literacy and budget accountability are being
utilized by local organisations and groups to ensure accountability of duty
bearers and to augment people’s access to local resources. Excluded and
marginalised groups are increasingly engaged in budget tracking of public
offices and seeking accountability with them after being trained in Economic
Literacy and Budget Accountability for Governance (ELBAG). Various Dalit
communities organised by RDN in 12 districts of Mid and Far-western Development
regions have been able to claim the funds which are allocated for the poor and
marginalised communities by the Village Development Councils Similarly, with
support from Society for Environment and Education Development (SEED) groups of
women, Dalits, PWDs and indigenous peoples of Dang have also succeeded in
claiming Rs 347,000 from different VDCs.
For instance, getting involved with women’s groups formed by
Siddhartha Social Development Centre, women from the village of Jahadi in Nepal
came to know of an allocation for women’s empowerment in their Village
Development Council’s budget. It was only when they got involved in women’s
groups formed by this budget allocation came to light. The news prompted them
to approach the Village Development Council (VDC) secretary to ask how the budget had been spent. Initially, the
secretary refused to acknowledge that any such budget existed. In response, the
women organised a picket of the VDC’s offices, forcing the secretary to admit
that the budget had already been spent on other development works. The women
demanded that the budget allocated for women’s empowerment be duly spent on
this purpose and threatened to organise more protests if it was not. Eventually
the VDC agreed that funds in the following year’s budget would be spent on
women’s empowerment. The women of Jahadi are now keeping a watchful eye on the
VDC to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
IX. Public Budget is Peoples’ Business- Brazil
“Public budget is your business”. With this slogan Conviver (DA9)
launched a campaign in Mirandiba, Pernambuco state, to monitor local
government’s expenditures, investments and funds collected from taxes. Conviver
leads the Mirandiba Budget Tracking Forum, which gathers around 25
organisations representing communities from the region. Their first public
hearing with the Chamber of Local Councillors in 2006 brought 300 people to
discuss how to hold the local government accountable for the fulfillment of
budget priorities. One of the criticisms is about local government’s excessive
expenses with parties forecasted in £ 67,000 for 2007. The Forum was created in
1999 by a small group of people interested in raising local awareness on the
issue. “Our space has been increasing since then, but it was in 2003, after a
budget tracking capacity building promoted by Action Aid International
Brazil, that we finally grew. Now we are 25 organisations, and even the local
councilors ask ed us a seat in the
Forum”, says proudly Suetone Gomes de Sá, in charge of the budget tracking
activities in Conviver. Suetone considers that this approximation is important.
“The aim of the public hearing is to discuss the budget priorities with the
authorities, and to make that the communities´ needs be me t in the budget
closure. The executive power does not execute what civil society wish because
the authorities that approve the measures are from the legislative power like
the local councilors. They are not the same that execute it, who are from the
executive power, like the mayor”, he explains. “We want the authorities to know
that the Forum is serious. It is not defending private interests but the will
of society. Very little of what is promised in legislation is fulfilled as
priority. Budget ends up under expended”. Centro das Mulheres do Cabo, partner
organisation in Brazil also participates in the local Budget Grassroots Forum.
In 2006, their 35 proposals for the local budget have been unanimously approved
by the Chamber of Local Councilors. Among other pro-poor measures, the
proposals included funds for refurbishing schools located in outsk irts communities and improvements on health
services.
X. Women’s Political Participation-
Cambodia.
Promoting women’s space on concerns relevant to their social and
political representation has been agreed as advantageous to developing any
country. Political and economic issues at the local level are particularly
pertinent to women’s lives. And women are seen as more likely to address
pressing development problems facing their communities, such as education,
healthcare and the impact of corruption, as a result of both their proximity to
communities and their multiple roles within communities. Yin Sam Onn, 54, who
is a woman deputy village chief of Kaeng Village, Chhroy Banteay Commune,
Kratie District, Kratie Province where our partner Khmer Association for
Development of Countryside-Cambodia (KAFDOC) works echoes the claim, saying
women are preferred because of the responsibility and high commitment they make
“It is women who are active. We have more trust in women than in men. After
they get assignment, they are accountable,” Sam Onn said
“Men cannot fully understand women’s issues. What women’s
sufferings are, but we do. We struggle for what women need. What affect women’s
rights. We dare speak out what women need. Men don’t care much about women’s
sufferings. They cannot know all,” she added.
Coming from a poor family, Sam Onn could study up to only grade
three. But, she has a great deal of experience in women’s issues. She was
elected by her community the leader of commune women association in the 1980s.
Then she resumed the work from 1993 till 2004 again. She was selected and has
been working as a community facilitator since 2005. She is now a community
organiser.
“Before women were in not in the leadership role. Even they were capable, they were only assistants. But, now even most of our community facilitators are also in their village leadership role,” Sam Onn said. She believes that there is change in women’s participants and that more women are/ feel encouraged to take the change position. “People have trust in me. We are capable of managing things. Men recognise us because our concrete actions produce results. I feel confidence,” said Som Onn.
“Before women were in not in the leadership role. Even they were capable, they were only assistants. But, now even most of our community facilitators are also in their village leadership role,” Sam Onn said. She believes that there is change in women’s participants and that more women are/ feel encouraged to take the change position. “People have trust in me. We are capable of managing things. Men recognise us because our concrete actions produce results. I feel confidence,” said Som Onn.
Besides community organising sk ill,
all of the female facilitators in communities KAFDOC works with also learned
Land Law, Fishery Law, self help health, gender, REFLECT and good governance.
Sixteen of them have taken most of the village assistant posts (sixteen out of
nineteen) while four become commune councilors and two commune chiefs.
“More women are in local governance. They did not understand. They
did not know about laws. Husbands did not encourage wives to go far,” said Chea
Thi, 39, a community healer. She became a village assistant in early 2007. In
her community, there are about fifteen women in Chhroy Banteay Commune.
With the knowledge and expertise, the women have become the useful resource
persons people often come to; their representation has made them possible to
influence any decision that affects their community. “Women group join and
help. To decide wither or not to have a straight or detouring trail. It is not
only the village chief or assistant who makes the decision. All must agree,”
said Chea Thi.
In planning to build the trail, she has involved women from
various groups: rice banks, revolving fund and self help health programme.
Males from the authority, fisher folks also join. Each family will contribute
riel 13,000 (USD 3.25) to the construction of a 160-meter long village road.
Chea Thi has selected fifteen active women from her community to
involve in meetings on women’s issues and any community problem solving. To
her, women’s participation is very important. “I don’t like any piece of work,
decision made only by men. The one which is male dominated, it is like there is
no justice at all for women—they are useless,” said Chea Thi. “Before women
could not be part of any development work. So, we want women to participate in
doing anything. We want more participation so that they can increase their
knowledge,” she added.
Acknowledgement
( I would like to acknowledge Actionaid International and many civil society activists and organizations
in different parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America for their inputs and who
contributed to the case studies. The ELBAG approach was introduced and
developed by the author during his tenure as the International Director of
Actionaid International( 2003-2010), responsible for the global thematic work
on democratic governance and as the head of Asia Pacific Region. The author
would like to acknowledge colleagues from Actionaid, particularly Sandeep
Chachra (India), Thao( Vietnam( Vietnam), Dr. Hussaini( Nigeria) who worked
closely with the author in the governance thematic group of Actionaid)
