Voice and Accountability

Creating institutionalized mechanisms for public participation creates space for the negotiation and inclusive political settlements necessary to provide all citizens with access to government services. We work with governments and citizens on formal and informal mechanisms to enhance the accountability of service providers. Our work in this area includes building civil society’s ability to use accountability tools such as social audits and community scorecards, working with government institutions to strengthen internal controls, and supporting strong parliamentary oversight of public expenditures and policy implementation.

Our Experts

Edwin Berk

Director, Business Development, Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan Region

Edwin Berk has made a career of building the businesses of professional services companies where public and private sectors intersect. After a brief stint teaching at Yale University, he joined a public policy consulting firm.

Christina Frey

Principal Consultant, Governance

Christina brings 10 years of experience in sustainable development, anti-corruption work, public sector governance, and political economy analysis across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Afghanistan—Promote: Women in the Economy (WIE)

The USAID Promote: Women in the Economy program is bolstering women’s inclusion in Afghanistan’s mainstream economy and reinforcing and advancing progress made by Afghan women over the past decade.

Honduras—Unidos por la Justicia (United for Justice)

The Unidos por la Justicia (United for Justice) program works with local partners to improve citizen engagement with the security and justice sectors; enhance the efficiency of the judicial system; and increase the effectiveness of community police.

Liberia—Local Empowerment for Government Inclusion and Transparency (LEGIT)

The Local Empowerment for Government Inclusion and Transparency (LEGIT) program is helping solidify decentralization reforms by facilitating the transfer of authority from the national government to counties and cities, enhancing citizen participation in governance, and building capacity for government officials.

Honduras—Local Governance Activity (HLG)

HLG works in 80 municipalities in six departments in western Honduras to address entrenched socioeconomic challenges related to food insecurity, climate vulnerability, gender disparity, and local governance to sustainably improve the lives of the Honduran people.

Malawi—Local Government Accountability and Performance (LGAP)

Over 20 years since its first multi-party elections, the government of Malwai is renewing efforts to decentralize government power, based on the principle that sustainable socioeconomic development is best achieved when decisions are made at the local level. Despite an initially strong legal framework for local governance, institutional tensions as well as confusion over roles and responsibilities between levels of government continues to hinder successful decentralization.

Democratic Republic of the Congo—Integrated Governance Activity (IGA)

The Integrated Governance Activity is helping local governments to improve public services and establish trust with their citizens, as well as training civil society groups to better advocate their needs to elected officials.

DAI’s Employee Ownership Initiative Wins Prestigious Award

DAI was yesterday named an award winner at the 17th annual conference of the Global Equity Organization (GEO), a professional membership organization dedicated to advancing understanding of employee share plans. DAI won in a new award category, Best Use of a Share Plan in a Private Company.

Governance