Social Accountability Initiatives in Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon: Civic Innovation in the Arab World After 2011 (EADI Global Development Series)

This Open Access Pivot represents the first extensive exploration of social accountability within the Arab world following the 2011 Arab uprisings. Drawing on insights from development studies, comparative politics, and Middle East studies, the authors explore the evolution of accountability as a governance concept, review theories on social accountability’s role in improving public service delivery, and categorize types of social accountability initiatives, highlighting respective strengths and weaknesses. Detailed country chapters provide a solid basis for the comparative approach which reveals major variations in meanings of accountability, mobilization strategies, and official responses, rooted in the specific sociopolitical contexts of each country. Moreover, the book analyzes the influence of political and economic elites as well as the nature of popular mobilisation on accountability dynamics in the region. The authors conclude by discerning differences and commonalities across cases and offer recommendations for policymakers, donors, and practitioners seeking to enhance the effectiveness of social accountability initiatives. They address challenges such as the lack of enforcement mechanisms, the difficulty of scaling up initiatives, and the ambiguous effects of international interventions. This pioneering Pivot fills a significant void in the study of social accountability in the MENA region and provides a compelling framework for future research and policy design, making it an indispensable resource for experts and scholars. Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Tables 1 Introduction: Social Accountability and Civic Innovation in the Arab World 1.1 Background 1.2 A ‘Double Gap’ in the Scholarly Literature 1.3 Research Questions and Structure of the Volume Note References 2 Social Accountability in Review: From Conceptual Models to Grounded Practices of Civic Innovation 2.1 Social Accountability Initiatives as Democratic Renewal 2.2 From Accountability to Social Accountability 2.3 Social Accountability: A Theoretical Synopsis 2.4 Social Accountability Typology and Outcomes Notes References 3 Social Accountability in Morocco: Recurring Pressures and Sporadic Concessions 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Methodology 3.3 Accountability in the Moroccan Context 3.3.1 The Reform of the Constitutional Framework: Plus ça Change...? 3.3.2 Institutions for Top-Down Accountability: Great Prerogatives, Meagre Results 3.3.3 Institutional Mechanisms for Bottom-Up Accountability: A Missed Opportunity 3.4 Reviewing Social Accountability Initiatives: What Does Accountability Look Like for the People in Morocco? 3.4.1 Multiple Meanings 3.4.2 Mobilisation Methods Building Tools and Creating Spaces for Social Accountability Raising Awareness of Fellow Citizens Boosting Pressure: Advocacy, Litigation and Actions in the Public Space 3.4.3 Response from Authorities A Complicated Relationship with Civil Society Bottom-Up Demands, (Some) Top-Down Responses 3.4.4 Outcomes What Can Citizens and Civil Society Actually Do? Results in the Short Term, Doubts About the Long Term Civil Society’s Resilience: The Vital Ingredient for Change? 3.5 Conclusion Notes References 4 Social Accountability in Tunisia: Processes of Learning in Civic Innovation Between 2011 and 2021 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Methodology 4.3 Accountability in the Tunisian Context 4.3.1 Social Accountability in the 2014 Constitution 4.3.2 The Emergence of the Concept of Social Accountability Transparency Initiatives—Increasing Citizens’ Access to Information Contentious Actions Participatory Governance 4.4 Meanings: From Constitutional Ideal to Applied Concept 4.4.1 The Multiple Meanings of Accountability Led by Civil Society and/or Citizens Targeted at Public Institutions Accountability as the Duty to Give Answers Accountability as Citizens’ Access to and Participation in Decision-Making Accountability as Transparency Accountability as the Rule of Law Accountability as Decent Public Service Provision 4.5 Mobilisation Methods: Civil Society Strategies to Move From Concept to Action 4.5.1 Mobilising Officials Persuasion Coercion 4.5.2 Mobilising Citizens 4.6 Responses: Reactions from Authorities to Social Accountability Initiatives 4.6.1 Problematic Aspects of Social Accountability Lack of ‘Teeth’ Lack of Evaluation The Role of Civil Society Who Participates and How? 4.7 Outcomes: Net Effects of Civic Innovation 4.7.1 The Participatory Approach: Action Associative (Case #1) 4.7.2 The Transparency Approach: Al Bawsala (Case #2) 4.7.3 The Advocacy Approach: El Comita (Case #3) 4.8 Lessons on Social Accountability in Tunisia 4.8.1 Formal vs. Informal Institutions 4.8.2 Demand Side vs. Supply Side 4.8.3 The Tensions Between Representative and Participatory Democracy 4.8.4 Tools vs. Contexts 4.8.5 Confrontation vs. Cooperation 4.8.6 National vs. Local 4.9 Conclusion Notes References 5 Social Accountability in Lebanon: Collaboration Rather Than Confrontation in Times of Crisis 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Methodology 5.3 Accountability in Lebanon in Context 5.3.1 Legal Context 5.3.2 Civil Society Organisations Pre-Arab Spring 5.3.3 The Arab Spring and its Spillover Effects in Lebanon 5.3.4 The Current Multidimensional Crisis 5.3.5 Local Systems of Governance 5.3.6 The Peacebuilding Project and Local Committees 5.4 Multiple Meanings 5.4.1 Accountability as Holding Authorities to Account 5.4.2 Accountability as Responding to Local Needs 5.4.3 Accountability as Acting in the Case of Failure 5.4.4 Accountability as a Legal Measure 5.4.5 Accountability as Access to Information 5.4.6 Accountability as a Personal Contribution 5.5 Mobilisation Methods and Means for Accountability 5.5.1 Direct Communication 5.5.2 Support Rather Than Confrontation 5.5.3 Denouncing on Social Media 5.5.4 Filing Complaints 5.6 Responses from Authorities 5.6.1 Using SA ‘Responsibly’ 5.6.2 Free Qualified ‘Labour’ and Access to Funds 5.6.3 ‘Soft’ Power 5.6.4 Contextual Factors 5.7 Outcomes 5.8 Discussion and Conclusion Notes References 6 Conclusion: Social Accountability Initiatives as Sites of Relational Power 6.1 Answering Our Research Questions 6.1.1 Meanings 6.1.2 Mobilisations 6.1.3 Responses 6.1.4 Outcomes 6.2 SAIs as Relational Sites of Power 6.3 Grounded Lessons and Recommendations References Index The EADI Global Development book series seeks to broaden our understanding of the processes that advance or impede human development, whether from a political, economic, sociological or anthropological perspective. Development Studies is a multi-and inter-disciplinary field of study. The European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) reaches with over 120 development research institutes and regular conferences the most important institutes and researchers in this field. The book series aims to better understand the interplay between social, economic, political, technological, ecological, cultural and gendered (inter-sectional) aspects of societal change at the local, national, regional and global levels. It focusses on the link between theory, policy and practice. New formats include: "From past to present -and vice versa" (development processes are not ahistorical); "From theory to practice -and vice versa" (dialogues between academics, policymakers and practitioners); and "Development roundtable" (a forum where major contributors engage in a debate about a specific topic. Original and thought-provoking perspectives based on evidence are encouraged). The series editors invite proposals for manuscripts across all disciplines at