Drafts by Sophie King
How to achieve democratisation in the neopatrimonial and agrarian environments that predominate i... more How to achieve democratisation in the neopatrimonial and agrarian environments that predominate in sub-Saharan Africa continues to present a challenge for both development theory and practice. Drawing on intensive fieldwork in Western Uganda, this paper argues that Charles Tilly’s ‘democratisation as process’ provides us with the framework required to explain the ways in which particular kinds of association can advance democratisation from below. Moving beyond the current focus on how elite-bargaining and certain associational forms may contribute to liberal forms of democracy, this approach helps identify the intermediate mechanisms involved in building democracy from below, including the significance of challenging categorical inequalities, notably through the role of producer groups, and of building trust networks, cross-class alliances and synergistic relations between civil and political society. The evidence and mode of analysis deployed here help suggest alternative routes for supporting local efforts to build democracy from below in sub-Saharan Africa.
2016 by Sophie King
Calls to deepen levels of social accountability within social protection interventions need to be... more Calls to deepen levels of social accountability within social protection interventions need to be informed by the now extensive experience of promoting social accountability in developing countries. Drawing on a systematic review of over 90 social accountability interventions, including some involving social protection, this paper shows that politics and context are critical to shaping their success. We argue that the politics of social protection and of social accountability resonate strongly with the broader project of transforming state-society relations in developing countries. This requires a reconceptualisation of social accountability and social protection in terms of the broader development of ‘social contracts’, and that the current emphasis on promoting bottom-up forms of accountability needs to be balanced by efforts to strengthen and legitimise public authority in developing countries.
2015 by Sophie King
Opinion is divided about the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to enhance the politi... more Opinion is divided about the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to enhance the political capabilities of disadvantaged groups in neo-patrimonial contexts, and particularly through a hegemonic paradigm which seeks to advance poverty reduction through good governance. Drawing on a qualitative study of CSOs in western Uganda, this paper argues that strategies focused on increasing the participation of rural citizens in formal decentralised planning spaces may be less effective in enhancing their political capabilities than
those facilitating social mobilisation through the formation of producer groups and federations. This has important implications for thinking and practice around popular empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa.
Social accountability has become an important new buzzword among development actors seeking to un... more Social accountability has become an important new buzzword among development actors seeking to understand the forms of state-society synergy that may be supportive of better public services. Advocates suggest demand-side initiatives are key to increasing the power of the poor in service provision, while sceptics question the application of technical fixes to complex political challenges. This article reports findings from qualitative research into the political capabilities outcomes achieved among local health and education stakeholders through the social accountability interventions of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Western Uganda. It argues that NGOs are unlikely to generate substantive advances for social accountability in agrarian contexts characterised by patronage politics without organising marginalised groups themselves to tackle the causes of their disadvantage. La redevabilité sociale est devenue un nouveau mot clé à la mode au sein des acteurs du développement qui cherchent à comprendre les différentes formes de synergie entre état et société qui pourraient favoriser de meilleurs services publics. Les partisans de la redevabilité sociale suggèrent que les initiatives du côté de la demande sont clés pour augmenter le pouvoir des pauvres dans la prestation de services, alors les sceptiques remettent en question l'application de solutions techniques pour régler des problèmes politiques complexes. Cet article relate les conclusions d'une étude qualitative relative à la capacité politique au sein d'acteurs sanitaires et éducatifs locaux, qui a été rendue possible grâce à une intervention sur la redevabilité sociale, mise en oeuvre par une organisation non-gouvernementale (ONG) dans l'Ouest de l'Ouganda. L'étude démontre que les ONG sont peu susceptibles de provoquer des avancées importantes en redevabilité sociale dans les contextes agraires, qui sont caractérisés par un patronage politique, sans appuyer l'organisation des groupes marginalisés eux-mêmes afin qu'ils s'attaquent aux causes de leur désavantage.
Books and Book Chapters by Sophie King
International NGOs are increasingly under pressure from governments and the public to demonstrate... more International NGOs are increasingly under pressure from governments and the public to demonstrate evidence of impact and positive results. This book critically examines how development NGOs working around the world create knowledge and evidence, and use it to satisfy donors, to improve their practices, and to further our understanding of poverty. It asks questions such as: does the evidence of community organizations count as much as higher-level organizations? Should southern NGOs be expected to disseminate pre-formed development ‘messages’? What do we mean by ‘evidence-based advocacy’?
The eight studies that form the core of Negotiating Knowledge span scholarly and practitioner research across Africa, Asia and Latin America. They tackle political issues that determine what forms of evidence and knowledge are given credence. They explore the power dynamics that shape the value placed on knowledge and learning in relationships within and between organizations.
Negotiating Knowledge urges NGOs to examine how they use knowledge in order to make it work better for themselves and for the people that they aim to assist. To do this well, they have to understand better what they mean by knowledge and evidence, revisit the value that they place on learning and knowledge, and invest in appropriate capacity and skills.
This book is essential reading for international NGO staff, policy makers, as well as those researching, studying and making policy in international development.
Full details (and purchase) available here: http://developmentbookshop.com/negotiating-knowledge
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Drafts by Sophie King
2016 by Sophie King
2015 by Sophie King
those facilitating social mobilisation through the formation of producer groups and federations. This has important implications for thinking and practice around popular empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa.
Books and Book Chapters by Sophie King
The eight studies that form the core of Negotiating Knowledge span scholarly and practitioner research across Africa, Asia and Latin America. They tackle political issues that determine what forms of evidence and knowledge are given credence. They explore the power dynamics that shape the value placed on knowledge and learning in relationships within and between organizations.
Negotiating Knowledge urges NGOs to examine how they use knowledge in order to make it work better for themselves and for the people that they aim to assist. To do this well, they have to understand better what they mean by knowledge and evidence, revisit the value that they place on learning and knowledge, and invest in appropriate capacity and skills.
This book is essential reading for international NGO staff, policy makers, as well as those researching, studying and making policy in international development.
Full details (and purchase) available here: http://developmentbookshop.com/negotiating-knowledge
those facilitating social mobilisation through the formation of producer groups and federations. This has important implications for thinking and practice around popular empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa.
The eight studies that form the core of Negotiating Knowledge span scholarly and practitioner research across Africa, Asia and Latin America. They tackle political issues that determine what forms of evidence and knowledge are given credence. They explore the power dynamics that shape the value placed on knowledge and learning in relationships within and between organizations.
Negotiating Knowledge urges NGOs to examine how they use knowledge in order to make it work better for themselves and for the people that they aim to assist. To do this well, they have to understand better what they mean by knowledge and evidence, revisit the value that they place on learning and knowledge, and invest in appropriate capacity and skills.
This book is essential reading for international NGO staff, policy makers, as well as those researching, studying and making policy in international development.
Full details (and purchase) available here: http://developmentbookshop.com/negotiating-knowledge