Even today, we are facing challenges like growing inequality, corruption, and the absence of citizen voice in governmental processes. These are all examples of problems at the core of some of the world’s most pressing development challenges. The greatest challenge is closing the so-called feedback loop – or accountability gap – between what citizens want and what the governments actually do. Working with both sides – citizens and governments – to provide incentives and information is crucial in supporting citizens having a more articulated voice, helping governments to listen, and assisting government agencies in acting upon the feedback they receive.
The World Bank established the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) in 2012 with the purpose of bridging this gap, enhancing citizens’ voice and, just as importantly, supporting the capacity of governments to respond effectively to their voice. The GPSA is based on constructive engagement between governments and civil society in order to create an enabling environment in which citizen feedback is used to solve fundamental problems in service delivery and to strengthen the performance of public institutions.
To achieve our goals, we provide strategic and sustained support to civil society organizations (CSOs) and governments for social accountability initiatives aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability. We build on the World Bank’s direct and ongoing engagement with public sector actors as well as with a network of Global Partner organizations to achieve the World Bank’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.