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Date Added to
Site: 23rd March 2003 |
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Short Summary
| Long
Summary |
| Title |
Accountability
to Women in Development Spending – Experiments in Service-delivery
Audits at the Local Level |
| Author |
Goetz, A-M. and Jenkins, R. |
| Publication
Date |
June 2002 |
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Short Summary |
What matters to consumers of public services
is local-level accountability. Local monitoring and auditing is the
only way to ensure commitments on paper at the local and national
level - particularly in areas of concern to women - are translated
into practice. Local-level analysis and activity make it easier to
identify the impact of spending patterns, to understand the use of
resources at local government level, and to pick up on corruption
and mis-spending of funds. This paper shows how groups in India hold
governments accountable for their spending and the delivery of public
services. Gender-sensitive analysis and monitoring of this spending
at the local level can give women the tools to campaign and lobby
directly for money that should go to them and their families. Citizens
can participate in monitoring spending in two key areas: decentralised
local government budgets and large development programmes. These are
the areas in which women and the poor most closely engage with public
sector spending programmes. In India, some village assemblies have
gained the power to examine annual budget statements and to audit
reports. However, many challenges are still faced and women are often
sidelined with the local administration, local politicians and many
male citizens colluding in order to divert funds intended for women's
benefit. |
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