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Exploring the interactions among public opinion, governance, and the public sphere

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This blog is published by the Communication for Governance & Accountability Program (CommGAP).
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South Africa

The People's Purse: Budgeting for the Poor

Submitted by Antonio Lambino on Thu, 06/11/2009 - 16:30

It is uncontroversial that the resources governments spend belong to the people.  How these resources get allocated varies from country to country at the national and local levels.  Debates and deliberations surrounding the budgetary process are usually technical, tedious, and time-consuming.  Nonetheless, budgeting in the public sector is a critical entry point for the demand for better public goods and services and, more broadly, meaningful and effective citizen engagement.  If citizens could exercise their voices in the prioritization of public sector spending, then government programs would have a higher likelihood of reflecting the needs and wants of constituents.  So a key challenge and opportunity in this area is finding a judicious balance between solid technical analysis and meaningful citizen participation.
 

No Public Will, No Accountability

Submitted by Anne-Katrin Arnold on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 17:09

Last week and this, the Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA) piloted the new World Bank Institute's (WBI) new Core Learning Program "Introduction to Social Accountability" near Johannesburg, South Africa. CommGAP was invited to present a module on "Communication and Strategies for Constructive Engagement" - introducing our core concepts and messages on mobilizing public opinion to create genuine demand for social accountability. Here's a comment from the evaluations of our module: "The mobilization of public opinion is vital for social accountability. I have to admit that I was not aware of the importance of public opinion for social accountability before this course!"

The ‘New’ Politics of Public Service Broadcasting in South Africa: Is the SABC Insulated?

Submitted by Fackson Banda on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 09:23

One can be forgiven for suggesting that the South African Broadcasting Corporation is a microcosm of South Africa’s changing political landscape. In a way, this correlation between politics and state broadcasting has always been the ‘curse’ of the SABC, the legally sanctioned provider of public service broadcasting in the country. Prior to the ‘blessing’ of the multiparty democratic elections of 1994, the ruling National Party used the state broadcaster to inculcate the ideology of apartheid or racial separatism. 14 years after ushering in a multiparty dispensation, there is a sense of political déjà vu in the operations of the SABC.

The operational chaos being witnessed at the SABC is indicative of the fast changing political terrain in South Africa. Under the SABC Charter, the SABC is governed by a board of directors. Board nominees are vetted by a relevant portfolio committee of Parliament.

Blog Action Day 2008 on Poverty

Submitted by Caroline Jaine on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 08:38

I was asked to join forces with other bloggers to blog on Blog Action Day (October 15) and write about Poverty.  What better platform than the World Bank’s People, Spaces, Deliberation blog?  I encourage others to do the same. 
 
I have been discussing with fellow bloggers what “being poor” means to them.  Interesting how varied the response – but one thing is clear, in this current economic crisis everyone around the globe is thinking about it.  I don’t know when I stopped thinking about it, but I know I am guilty of taking cash and credit for granted over the years.