Accountability Research Center

"Wantam": Kenyans' Slang for Just One Presidential Term, and Why it Matters - Accountability Research Center Idah Knowles on Wantam as political language with implications for incumbency norms and democratic accountability.

#WanTam started as slang in Kenya to mean “One Term”

Now it’s reshaping how time in office is understood. In my latest @arc-au.bsky.social keyword,I examine #WanTam as a political language/expression & what that shift signals for democratic accountability

accountabilityresearch.org/wantam-why-i...

Seafarer abandonment - 2025 was the worst year on record 📈

New ITF data shows that 6,223 seafarers were abandoned on 410 ships. Many of the seafarers were left unpaid, without food, water or access to ports, often for months at a time.

Full story ➡️ www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/seaf...

Happy New Year! Find out what we were up to in the last two months of 2025 and a taste of what's coming in 2026

mailchi.mp/0933158f55e0...

𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲
How can youth voices shape mental health policies and practices? This case study, published today by @jcomsh.bsky.social shares experiences and lessons from an advocacy initiative in the Philippines. journals.ub.umu.se/index.php/jc...

Ten Dimensions of Network Strengthening: Lessons from Health Rights Advocates in Guatemala, Mexico, and the Philippines - Accountability Research Center Reflections of four health rights CSOs in Guatemala, Mexico, and the Philippines, on what it takes to strengthen networks of volunteers.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
English: bit.ly/3L8X8kF Spanish: bit.ly/46T4AsC

Find out about all ARC's latest publications and team news in our newsletter for September and October: mailchi.mp/f22a1a16c21d...

IFC Sustainability Framework Review This Inside the Institutions critically analyses the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) review of its Sustainability Framework, amidst intensifying scrutiny of its harmful investments.

The IFC review of its Sustainability Framework risks rhetoric over reform: remedy gaps, weak oversight, and opacity persist as IFIs lean on private finance despite evidence of harm.

More in our latest Inside the Institutions:
🔗 tinyurl.com/IFCSustainab...

@re-course.org @arc-au.bsky.social

The World Bank’s Civic Test The World Bank is considering Citizens at the Center, a new framework that seeks to move civic engagement from a procedural add-on to a core part of development, with CSOs as partners and community pa...

What would it take to shift civic engagement to the center of the World Bank’s development model? New analysis from Lindsay Coates & Rachel Nadelman looks at the Bank's strategic framework for civic & citizen engagement & asks what's at stake.
www.cgdev.org/blog/world-b...

Twenty social organization leaders - seven working languages - three days of learning together in Choachí, Colombia. Sharing strategies on how to encourage governments to listen and deliver effectively to all citizens. Reflections, analysis, action to come. Watch this space!

Open Parliaments for Inclusive and Participatory Oversight in Africa - Accountability Research Center How are advocates of open parliaments redefining openness as an evolving process that centers equity, participation, and institutional responsiveness?

This International Day of Democracy: a vision of parliaments as capable of listening, adapting, and co-governing with citizens. @idahknowles.bsky.social discusses how the open parliament idea plays out in African democracies. English: bit.ly/44wrbJ9 French: bit.ly/3HMux3p

Open Parliaments for Inclusive and Participatory Oversight in Africa - Accountability Research Center How are advocates of open parliaments redefining openness as an evolving process that centers equity, participation, and institutional responsiveness?

This International Day of Democracy: a vision of parliaments as capable of listening, adapting, and co-governing with citizens. @idahknowles.bsky.social discusses how the open parliament idea plays out in African democracies. English: bit.ly/44wrbJ9 French: bit.ly/3JrVBp9n

Quand la Réactivité devient-elle Synonyme de Redevabilité? - Accountability Research Center Le blog de Jonathan Fox réfléchit à la manière dont nous savons quand les stratégies visant à promouvoir la redevabilité obtiennent une réponse significative.

French: bit.ly/3HMux3p

Quando a Responsividade Resulta em Responsabilização? - Accountability Research Center O blog de Jonathan Fox reflete sobre como sabemos quando as estratégias para promover a responsabilidade estão recebendo uma resposta significativa.

Portuguese: bit.ly/4mZockB

De cumplir a rendir cuentas - Accountability Research Center El blog de Jonathan Fox reflexiona sobre cómo sabemos cuándo las estrategias para promover la rendición de cuentas están funcionando.

Spanish: bit.ly/4mJQdwe

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? When those in power appear to listen to citizen voices, how can we make sense of their responses? @jonathanfox707.bsky.social's new blog proposes 3 categories: response, responsiveness, & accountable responsiveness. English: bit.ly/4mREn2Y

Find news of our latest publications, events and practitioner reflections on accountability work in our July-August newsletter

mailchi.mp/a0766da4bff6...

Des Parlements Ouverts pour un Contrôle Inclusif et Participatif en Afrique - Accountability Research Center Comment les défenseurs des parlements ouverts redéfinissent-ils l'ouverture comme un processus évolutif centré sur l'équité, la participation et la réceptivité institutionnelle?

Nouveau blog: «Des parlements ouverts pour un contrôle inclusif et participatif en Afrique» @idahknowles.bsky.social #parlementsouverts doivent devenir des espaces d’apprentissage, où les parlementaires écoutent réellement, s’adaptent et co-gouvernent avec les citoyens. Lisez ici :
bit.ly/3JrVBp9

SIS is hiring

The School of International Service is currently inviting applications for three tenure-track assistant professor positions beginning August 1, 2026. 🧵 ⬇️ #AcademicSky

[OPINION] How can civil society have a truly meaningful engagement in the budget process? Here are three important guideposts to achieve that goal

What's needed for meaningful civil society engagement in budget processes? In her new op-ed for @rappler.bsky.social, Joy Aceron offers three guiding principles for truly impactful civil society participation
www.rappler.com/voices/thoug...

"The climate emergency is real in Nepal ... but despite some important efforts to drive change, climate finance and decision-making is not citizen centric." This blog suggests pathways for moving towards climate finance and policy that's more accountable to young people

Home - ITF Fisheries

The ITF Fishers' Rights Network and Kesatuan Pelaut Indonesia signed an agreement in Jakarta yesterday to continue and expand our joint work in the fisheries sector.

The agreement solidifies a vital partnership for the ITF's Global Justice for Fishers campaign www.justiceforfishers.org

Fisherman sitting in fishing canoe on the beach

ARC & Fisheries Governance Project, organized a Fisher Learning Exchange in Ghana. Participants included representatives from unions, fisher associations, fish processor associations & fishery management organizations. Rea communique bit.ly/4ffEOkE

Fisheries Minister Emelia Arthur engages Accountability Research Centre on sector reforms - Gh Extractives In a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 24, the Minister shared details of the engagement, which took place at her office the previous day.

During a meeting with ARC and partners, Ghana's Fisheries Minister emphasized that Ghana’s progress in fisheries governance will be best sustained through broad partnerships and inclusive policymaking. Read more: ghextractives.com/fisheries-mi...

The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch

The Anti-Corruption Tracker is live! This interactive, regularly updated resource catalogs how U.S. oversight systems are being dismantled—from watchdog firings to weakened enforcement. Follow the erosion, action by action.

Explore the tracker here:
www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-...

New Accountability Note! How can civil society network and an official state oversight body interface for a shared agenda of systemic education reform? Joy Aceron and Abrehet Gebremedhin share a case study from the Philippines bit.ly/4f3yVHm

Farmer movement oversight of the Mexican Government’s scaled-up fertilizer program How can national policies to promote food self-sufficiency also enable agroecological transitions? Mexico’s recent agricultural policy priorities shifted from larger, irrigated farmers to focus mai...

Full article: Farmer movement oversight of the Mexican Government’s scaled-up fertilizer program

Jonathan Fox & Carlos García Jiménez

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

"𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵"
New LaborLinkPod episode on complex dynamics in Ghana's fishing sector. Which orgs represent small-scale fishers & work to bring their views to the policy table? bit.ly/3UejeDt

Summer 2025 - Bretton Woods Project This edition covers the Jubilee Year 2025 and calls at FfD4 to break the cycle of debt, IMF's Surveillance review, IDA21 package, Argentina, Sri Lanka and the IMF, and more.

Our new #ObserverSummer25 is out now🚀

This edition covers civil society demands of unconditional debt relief in #Jubilee2025, IMF's upcoming surveillance review, World Bank's billions to trillions 'fantasy', Sri Lanka, Argentina & the IMF, #FFD4, and more 🔥👇

tinyurl.com/ObserverSumm...

USAID's Locally‐Led Development Agenda: Open Government and Independent Monitoring USAID's ambitious localization agenda between 2021–2024—suspended in early 2025—aimed to provide more funding for local organizations, strengthen local systems, and co-create with local communities. ...

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁. Taking stock of USAID’s past efforts could inform future locally-led approaches by international donors. New article Jeff Hallock, @jonathanfox707.bsky.social, Nick Chen: bit.ly/3GNowTt