Search Results: GSAM
Ghana Strengthening Social Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) final
USAID/Ghana contracted Social Impact, Inc. to conduct an impact evaluation of USAID’s Ghana Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) program, which aims to increase accountability of local District Assemblies in Ghana. This randomized-controlled trial, impact evaluation tests the effect of two distinct efforts to increase accountability and improve service delivery outcomes at the district level. One-hundred and fifty of Ghana’s districts were matched and randomized into one of three groups: a top-down treatment group that received performance audits conducted by the central government Ghana Audit Service (GAS); a bottom-up treatment group that received civil-society organization (CSO) led scorecard campaigns; and a control group that did not receive either intervention.
Through surveys with citizens, local administrators, and local politicians and through a review of administrative data, we find that both CSO and GAS programming generally reduce citizen satisfaction with projects and services, but this is largely driven by districts that receive negative audit reports. That citizens are correctly attributing bad audit performance to poor-performing DAs is encouraging from the point of view of accountability. This progress with citizens has not, however, translated into many substantial changes in how administrators or politicians manage projects or project budgets. Neither GAS nor CSO programming improve transparency or corruption. GAS programming does reduce the incidence of partisan manipulation of public resources by politicians, and it also increases the perception of partisan manipulation among administrators. This is consistent with GAS sensitizing administrators to partisan manipulation and reducing its actual incidence among DA politicians.
CSO programming increases citizen-reported consultation on recent development, and administrators in CSO districts spend, on average, three hours more responding to constituents. Reasons that the intervention did not have a stronger impact on district officials includes (1) natural limits to the number of citizens reached by the intervention, (2) limited district government capacity and frequent turnover, and (3) local government dependence on federal budget transfers. Read More...
Through surveys with citizens, local administrators, and local politicians and through a review of administrative data, we find that both CSO and GAS programming generally reduce citizen satisfaction with projects and services, but this is largely driven by districts that receive negative audit reports. That citizens are correctly attributing bad audit performance to poor-performing DAs is encouraging from the point of view of accountability. This progress with citizens has not, however, translated into many substantial changes in how administrators or politicians manage projects or project budgets. Neither GAS nor CSO programming improve transparency or corruption. GAS programming does reduce the incidence of partisan manipulation of public resources by politicians, and it also increases the perception of partisan manipulation among administrators. This is consistent with GAS sensitizing administrators to partisan manipulation and reducing its actual incidence among DA politicians.
CSO programming increases citizen-reported consultation on recent development, and administrators in CSO districts spend, on average, three hours more responding to constituents. Reasons that the intervention did not have a stronger impact on district officials includes (1) natural limits to the number of citizens reached by the intervention, (2) limited district government capacity and frequent turnover, and (3) local government dependence on federal budget transfers. Read More...
Ghana Social Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) Annual Report Year 4
The fourth year of implementation of the USAID-funded Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) project covered the period October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, during which the GSAM Consortium – CARE, OXFAM and ISODEC – continued with its activities in the 50 districts, known as the Social Accountability Districts. These activities were aimed primarily at strengthening the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and citizens to monitor and assess capital projects of their MMDAs, using scorecards, and to use the information generated to engage with the MMDAs to demand accountability and improved performance in capital project delivery. Read More...
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms Project (GSAM) Baseline
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) project is a five (5) year USAID funded project which focuses on strengthening citizens’ oversight of capital development projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts of Ghana. GSAM is designed to strengthen social accountability by improving information to CSOs and the citizenry in the project districts to enhance their capacity to demand accountability. The project seeks to improve accountability by enhancing mechanisms of bottom-up social accountability in MMDAs through increasing the quality and quantity of information available to citizens about the effectiveness of capital projects through extensive CSO monitoring, the production of scorecards, and public information campaigns.
Prior to the rollout of the intervention, the GSAM team collected baseline data in 26 district assemblies in 8 regions of Ghana. The purpose of the baseline study was to establish the situation prior to the roll up of project interventions, document the first measurement of indicators to be used to determine progress, and which will serve as benchmarks for setting targets to be achieved at the completion of the project intervention. Read More...
Prior to the rollout of the intervention, the GSAM team collected baseline data in 26 district assemblies in 8 regions of Ghana. The purpose of the baseline study was to establish the situation prior to the roll up of project interventions, document the first measurement of indicators to be used to determine progress, and which will serve as benchmarks for setting targets to be achieved at the completion of the project intervention. Read More...
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project Third Quarterly Report
The Third Quarter of the USAID-funded Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) project spanned the period April-June, 2017. CARE, IBIS and ISODEC supported 26 CSO partners to complete a number of citizen monitoring and dissemination activities started in previous quarters in the 50 SA districts and to commence another round of citizen monitoring of capital projects. As at the end of June, 88 capital projects had been selected from the 2016/2017 Annual Action Plans (AAPs) in 43 of the 50 social accountability (SA) districts for citizen monitoring, majority of which are education (42%) and health-related (36%) projects. Below is a summary of the key activities implemented during the quarter and the results thereof.
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Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project First Quarterly Report
The Ghana Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) project is a five (5) year USAIDfunded project, which focuses on strengthening citizens’ oversight of capital development projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts of Ghana. GSAM is designed to strengthen social accountability by improving availability of District Assembly capital project information to citizens to enhance their capacity to demand accountability. The GSAM project interventions directly contribute to the attainment of USAID/Ghana Country Development Cooperation Strategy, - Strengthened Responsive, Democratic Governance under intermediate results; IR 1.2.1 “increased capacity of CSOs to advocate on behalf of citizens for improved government services’’; and sub IR 1.2.2 ‘‘strengthened CSO and National Audit Authority oversight of government services’’. Read More...
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project 2nd Year Annual Report
The Ghana Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project” is five year social accountability project which was formulated by the Government of the United States of America through its development agency, USAID, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana. The project focuses on strengthening citizens’ oversight of capital projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts of Ghana.
The implementation of the GSAM project directly contributes to intermediate results; IR 1.2.1 “increased capacity of CSOs to advocate on behalf of citizens for improved government services’’; and sub IR 1.2.2 ‘‘strengthened CSO and National Audit Authority oversight of government services’’ under USAID/Ghana Country Development Cooperation strategy,- Strengthened Responsive, Democratic Governance. Read More...
The implementation of the GSAM project directly contributes to intermediate results; IR 1.2.1 “increased capacity of CSOs to advocate on behalf of citizens for improved government services’’; and sub IR 1.2.2 ‘‘strengthened CSO and National Audit Authority oversight of government services’’ under USAID/Ghana Country Development Cooperation strategy,- Strengthened Responsive, Democratic Governance. Read More...
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project Quarterly Report
The Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) Project seeks to strengthen citizens’ oversight of capital projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts of Ghana. CARE International in Ghana, IBIS in Ghana and Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) are implementing the project in collaboration with twenty-seven Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other stakeholders.
This report highlights activities carried out in Quarter Two (January-March, 2017) of Year 3 of the project’s implementation. It presents information relating to administration and project infrastructure, programme activities, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Information on project implementation challenges, lessons learnt for the period, conclusions and recommendations are also presented as part of the report. Read More...
This report highlights activities carried out in Quarter Two (January-March, 2017) of Year 3 of the project’s implementation. It presents information relating to administration and project infrastructure, programme activities, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Information on project implementation challenges, lessons learnt for the period, conclusions and recommendations are also presented as part of the report. Read More...