Abstract
This paper argues that the concept of social accountability can be useful to explain the transparency and accountability policies adopted by international organizations (IOs). Social accountability is understood as the contributions of civil society actors in the functioning of IOs. In international politics, the recent development of IOs' accountability mechanisms has been challenged by the absence of a world government and the impact of inter-state power relations on the decision-making process of international organizations. The presence of civil society actors can reduce the gap between international organizations and citizens affected by their activities. This article resorts to a specific case study: the World Bank Inspection Panel. The analysis revealed the role of civil society actors in the creation, operation and outcomes of this institution. This analysis shows that the concept of social accountability can be adequate to explain not only the Inspection Panel, but other mechanisms recently developed by international organizations.
Highlights
This paper argues that the concept of social accountability can be useful to explain the transparency and accountability policies adopted by international organizations (IOs)
Attempts to democratize international organizations face the characteristic complexity of international politics: absence of global governance, complex interdependence, and increased levels of interaction between state and non-state actors
The weakness of existing accountability mechanisms can be compensated for by the actions of civil society, which is manifested in the defense of collective interests and contributes to reducing the gap between IOs and the citizens of the national states, as pointed out by Robert Dahl (1994)
Summary
This paper argues that the concept of social accountability can be useful to explain the transparency and accountability policies adopted by international organizations (IOs). The analysis revealed the role of civil society actors in the creation, operation and outcomes of this institution This analysis shows that the concept of social accountability can be adequate to explain the Inspection Panel, but other mechanisms recently developed by international organizations. The current debate on the quality of democracies generated a debate on the performance of political institutions in order to ascertain to what extent they would be compatible with the management of the complex problems of the contemporary world It is within these assessments that the concepts of transparency and accountability have become relevant. This concept emerged from the democratic experiences of Latin America, characterized by the weakness of traditional accountability mechanisms (such as elections and checks and balances) These experiences have shown the role of played by organized sectors of civil society seeking to exercise influence and control over those responsible for decisionmaking. The fifth identifies the presence of civil society actors as requesters of inspection requests and argues that the concept of social accountability has become instrumental in interpreting the Inspection Panel and other accountability mechanisms developed by international organizations
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