fbpx

Our Strategy Update: What We’re Going to Do in 2021

In late 2019, we developed a new global strategy for the 2020-2023 period. The strategy outlined why we care about accountability, what we have learned from almost 9 years of work on these issues, where we are going and how we’ll get there. The strategy was matched with a 2020-2023 operational plan and a budget for this work (here.)  Adapting to COVID-19 And then everything changed...as COVID-19 fundamentally transformed global politics, economics and societies; and dramatically altered accountability dynamics everywhere. The pandemic has highlighted the deep-set challenges of corruption within healthcare systems; and the policy responses have demonstrated how critical [...]

2021-01-14T18:46:32+00:0014th January 2021|

How do you “do” systems change?

By Jean Scrimgeour & Cheri-Leigh Erasmus The Accountability Lab supports responsible leaders, active citizens and accountable institutions. We think this can make governance work for people. For us, this is essential if we want to live in a world where resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives. We know that systems change is complicated, time consuming and unlikely to produce neat, sequential outcomes. But we also understand that in order to bring about these changes we will need to be a part of a fundamental shift in the underlying structures and systems.  We have [...]

2021-01-13T16:15:44+00:0013th January 2021|

Women’s Health During COVID-19 in Pakistan

Dangers of not knowing enough about COVID-19’s impact on women in Pakistan According to UN Women’s data, as compared to their male counterparts, women in Pakistan and Bangladesh are less likely to receive information about COVID-19. This is attributed to a variety of reasons including limited access to the internet, limited cell phone ownership, and comparatively lower levels of education amongst women. According to the 2018 Global Digital Report, women in Pakistan are 37% less likely than men to own a mobile phone or have internet access. Limited access to necessary information about COVID-19 puts, not only women, but also [...]

2020-12-17T08:09:27+00:0017th December 2020|

Public Speaking Scares

“Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you got, and fix it along the way.” - Paul Arden, author of It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be Many people find public speaking to be a daunting task so very few take a chance on it. We decided to explore public speaking failures through our fail faire event series in order to learn from the experiences of established public speakers. Specifically, we wanted to find out how their [...]

2020-12-18T09:34:31+00:0025th November 2020|

Getting students debating solutions to gender-based violence

By Samina Anwary It’s not often we get to explore “out there” solutions to entrenched socio-cultural problems to the extent that it becomes a formal debate with well researched arguments and rebuttals. But this is exactly what happens when young people are given the platform to find creative solutions to seemingly intractable challenges. "The government is required to provide protection and safety under our constitutional framework. Therefore, they are complicit in perpetuating GBV. This is why a class action law-suit is needed." This was the strong statement made by Rhodes University debater Khanyisa Mqotyana during a debate on whether the [...]

2020-10-22T19:12:40+00:0022nd October 2020|

Can social entrepreneurs achieve community immunity against corruption? 

By Michael Seo  In the United States, we tend to think of corruption as the exception rather than the norm. However, in some of the most impoverished settings in frontier markets, the reality is different but so are the market dynamics as social entrepreneurship flourishes. So we ask, how can social entrepreneurs nudge markets toward transparency and integrity in contexts where ethical behaviour, transparency and governance are anomalies? The consequences of corruption are immense and indisputable. Inversely, so are the benefits of trustworthy systems. Research from the IMF, “The Cost of Corruption”, suggests that countries perceived to be less corrupt [...]

2020-10-02T07:47:12+00:001st October 2020|

Road to Riyadh – Can the G20 Fight Corruption?

The G20 places an important emphasis on anti-corruption - but has a long way to go to understand the progress it is making on these issues; · Information is outdated, commitments can be vague, measurement is confused and tracking progress is difficult; · It is difficult to even understand what commitments have been made - check out Accountability Lab’s analysis here; · Going forwards the G20 should commit to very specific, simple commitments, proactive monitoring and greater transparency of its own processes. By Blair Glencorse & Sanjeeta Pant Background During the Toronto Summit in 2010, the G20 agreed to set up [...]

2023-02-16T14:36:09+00:0029th July 2020|

NGOs call for continued support for transparency and accountability

We’ve signed a letter in collaboration with the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST) and Hivos calling for providers of development assistance to maintain support for transparency, accountability and open government initiatives. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, we believe this needs to remain a priority in the sector, supported by dozens of development organizations from across the globe. We, the undersigned national and international NGOs, call on providers of development assistance to maintain support for transparency, accountability and open government initiatives in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. Multilateral and bilateral agencies, [...]

2020-07-10T13:04:15+00:0010th July 2020|

#BlackLivesMatter and our accountability

The horrific murder of George Floyd - and too many other victims - brought crowds of activists onto the streets this week as demands to end white supremacy and systemic violence gains momentum. Basic human rights remain elusive in so many parts of the world today and this tragedy has brought to the fore the inequity, insecurity and oppression that marginalized communities face everywhere, including in the countries where Accountability Lab is trying to make a difference. Ongoing racial and political injustices drive much of our work to improve governance systems around the globe. But we’ve also reflected on other [...]

2020-07-07T18:24:43+00:004th June 2020|

Don’t let Covid-19 camouflage endemic corruption

As nations and health systems begin to reopen in the aftermath of COVID-19, we should not forget opportunistic corruption exists because the system allows it. But for the poor, they may not even know they are trapped. Being a victim of corruption does not mean you are aware you are a victim, and this is where the defenseless are most vulnerable. Written by Michael Seo and Khadija Rheto.  In April, official creditors including the IMF and the World Bank discussed mobilizing up to $57 billion for Africa in 2020 to provide front-line health services to the vulnerable and prevent economies [...]

2020-06-01T00:00:00+00:001st June 2020|
Privacy Policy
Go to Top