This course is designed for field professionals working in Civil Society Organisations, State Social Audit Units and other organisations working at the district level and below, with at least 2 years of experience working on issues related to local governance, social accountability and delivery of welfare entitlements.

Social Accountability can be defined as ​“the obligation of those holding power to take responsibility for their behaviour and actions”. It has gained prominence over the last few decades in ensuring that local institutions act in compliance with their prescribed functions and protocols. Social accountability of local bodies like Gram Panchayats and other governance institutions is critical for ensuring that local governance in India is responsive, accountable and transparent.

The tools of social accountability have diversified over the years and their application has expanded to cover multiple schemes implemented by local agencies. This course intends to provide the participants a rigorous understanding of these tools of social accountability and their application in the context of schemes implemented through local governance units. The course introduces these tools in the context of local governance institutions in India by grounding the discussions in constitutional values and the practice of democracy in India. Participants will appreciate why and how the concepts of local governance and social accountability are interconnected and understand their importance in improving the effectiveness of local governance.

The short course uses a mixture of pedagogical tools including lectures, debates, role-play, group reading and presentations, documentary films, fieldwork and assessments including peer review and reflections. The fieldwork for the course involves participants designing social accountability tools and implementing them in a field site, with the help of local coordinators. 

The course aims to 

• Introduce the important tools of social accountability and their applicability and their use in local contexts.
• Enable participants to understand the deeper association between the practice of social accountability with constitutional values, democratic principles and sustainable development. 
• Build the capacities of participants to conduct, analyse and report on social accountability exercises in their roles effectively, and help them grow professionally in the development sector.

Certificate of Participation will be issued to participants after successful participation in all modules of the workshop.