Social Accountability: A Citizen’s Guide to Holding Government Accountable

Social accountability refers to the mechanisms and actions that citizens and civil society can use to hold public officials and government institutions accountable for the use of public funds and the delivery of public services. It brings citizens, civil society organizations, the media, and state institutions together to promote transparency, participation, answerability, and responsive governance. The information pack explains different forms of accountability—vertical, horizontal, and diagonal—and highlights principles such as transparency, participation, inclusivity, empowerment, collaboration, continuous monitoring, and access to grievance and redress mechanisms.

The pack also introduces practical tools that citizens and civil society can use to monitor government policies, budgets, projects, and services. These include participatory budgeting, citizen budgets, budget analysis, access to information, social audits, Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS), citizen report cards, community scorecards, and citizens’ charters. It outlines how citizens can request public information, participate in budget hearings, conduct social audits, track public expenditure, identify gaps and irregularities, and advocate for better services and resource allocation. Through evidence-based monitoring, data collection, analysis, and public engagement, social accountability enables citizens to contribute meaningfully to governance and demand improved transparency, responsible use of public resources, and better service delivery.