The political economy of accountability ecosystems: Charting a new course in the Pacific

“Accountable and responsive governance is essential for states to deliver on the needs and interests of their publics. But despite investments in strengthening accountability over many decades, these approaches have often failed to gain traction and accountability continues to fall short of meeting people’s needs and expectations. This is true in the Pacific – the focus of this paper – where development partner approaches to accountability have largely focused on importing external standards and forms that often produce only thin results. Wider questioning within the development community of good governance and the open movement underline the need for new approaches.”