How can the seeds of accountability ever grow in authoritarian
environments? Embedding accountability into the state is an
inherently uneven, partial and contested process. Campaigns for
public accountability often win limited concessions at best, but
they can leave cracks in the system that serve as handholds for
subsequent efforts to open up the state to public scrutiny.
This book explores the how civil society "thickens" by comparing
two decades of rural citizens' struggles to hold the Mexican state
accountable, exploring both change and continuity before, during,
and after national electoral turning points. The book addresses how
much power-sharing really happens in policy innovations that
include participatory social and environmental councils, citizen
oversight of elections, local government social investment funds,
participation reforms in World Bank projects, community-managed
food programs, as well as new social oversight and public
information access reforms. Meanwhile, efforts to exercise voice
unfold at the same time as rural citizens consider their exit
options, as millions migrate to the US, where many have since come
together in a new migrant civil society.
Since explanations of electoral change do not account for how
people actually experience the state, this book concludes that new
analytical frameworks are needed to understand "transitions to
accountability." This involves unpacking the interaction between
participation, transparency and accountability.
Oxford Studies in Democratization is a series for scholars and
students of comparative politics and related disciplines. Volumes
concentrate on the comparative study of the democratization process
thataccompanied the decline and termination of the cold war. The
geographical focus of the series is primarily Latin America, the
Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and relevant experiences in
Africa and Asia. The series editor is Laurence Whitehead, Official
Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
