Citizen Agency

Citizen Agency @Twaweza

uptake of information: uptake is more active engagement. information makes sense, is relevant and is perceived to be of use.

monitoring what’s going on: systematically collecting information for citizens’ own use. information that can be compared and analysed, not just knowing about your own circumstances. generally involves comparing policy / budget with practice or actual delivery of money or comparisons over time or across areas.

speaking up and debating: voice that can be heard.local level which can, but doesn’t have to, lead to national.

taking action to make a difference: initiative to make a difference. generally either through demanding more from government or service providers, or using their own time and labour to get things done.

Being informed

Previously knowledge was the missing link to action – of people knew they would act.

Information can be thought of in two ways – addressing information asymetry or information as persuasion.

What does it do?prompt a few (outliers / active citizens / positive deviants) to acthelp create a supportive environment for more active citizens create silent pressure / common knowledge – nationally and locallybe a tool for political entrepreneursbe used to create a problem out of a condition

Being active

Key concepts:Determinants to actionTypes of actionStrategic incrementalismMovements / organizers

Determinants

What makes people likely / ready to act?

Three main categories: opportunity (external); ability (knowledge, skills, efficacy); motivation (attitudes, values, beliefs, norms)

Information to Action Chain

Choosing determinants

Defining which ones seem particularly importantUnderstanding your capacity to influence these – we are not starting from a blank slateUnderstanding the interplay

Types of Action

private public

individual reading with your child

going to talk to the head teacher

collective michango demonstration

Also keeping in mind choices between: • direct (e.g. contribute to hire an extra teacher) and indirect (e.g. petitioning

district authorities for more teachers)• voice and exit• negative action - violence, repression

Which action?

Answer depends on what problem you are working on.

Is the issue that there is just not enough citizen agency / engagement / action?In which case any type of action is useful.

Or if there is a specific problem you are trying to solve?Then analysis required to work through what actions are possible / plausible and likely to bring the type of change we are looking for.

Goals Stakeholders Actions Opportunities Constraints Knowledgeie: What do we want?

ie: Who is involved?

ie: What 3 things should they do? ie: Drivers? Motivations?

ie: Barriers? Efficacy? ie: What info do we think they need?

SDE2: 90% of funds are

disbursed to schools.

Source: SzW brief 3, June 2013: Capitation grants in primary

education.

[Facts below could involve

other audiences]

79% of Tanzanians have never heard of the capitation grant (pg 2).

93% of head teachers report

shortages of books (pg 5).

Head teachers are dissatisfed

witht the capitation grant

disbursement (pg 6).

District Education Officer (on behalf of the District Treasury)

Advocate for schools and:1) Authorize grant disbursal timely from District Treasury. 2) Confirm disbursal amount with MoE. 3) Confirm disbursal amount with head teachers.

Greater trust and respect from HTs. Less follow up from HTs. Recognition for good results. Increased allocations.

Beaurocracy. Transparency. Corrupt practices. Competing priorities.Loss of private gain.Shortage of resources.

63% of HTs are dissatisfed with the CG disbursement. 17% of HTs do not follow up on capitation grant if it does not arrive i.e. 83% do follow up. DEO's role and authority related to CG.

Head teachers 1) Contact DEO if CG is not transferred timely.2) Publish CG disbursements on noticeboard, together with school expenditure.3) Discuss with parents and other community members which actions to take when CG is missing.

Increased income. Recogition for good results. More resources for school or private gain!

Corrupt practices. Financial literacy. No interest in school performance.

63% of HTs are dissatisfed with the CG disbursement. 17% of HTs do not follow up on capitation grant if it does not arrive i.e. 83% do follow up. 80% of HTs report that CG expenditure is displayed in public noticeboards. 93% of HTs report shortages of books.

Parents 1) Know the CG amount + purpose + frequency.2) Engage student to understand status of school resources.3) Find 5 other parents who want to ensure CG is received and used properly.4) Proactively go to the school with other parents to check on CG status and use.

Relation to children. Hope for children. Relation to school. Current unnecessary expenditure.

Knowledge of capgrant amount and purpose. Fear of authority. Lack of ownership (motivation). Distance to schools. Literacy of parents. Opportunities to engage at school level.

Primary CG is TZS 10k per child. Secondary CG is TZS 25k per child. CG is meant for textbooks and other materials, small repairs, adminsitration costs, exam expenses. Disbursed quarterly. Expenditure and receipt is meant to be displayed on a public noticeboard. 34% of primary schools did not receive any 2013 CG by 25 April 2013. Average annual receipt between 2010 and 2012 was TZS 2,202 per student.

Strategic incrementalism

Asking people to tackle big issues or even directly trying to tackle macro issues can be difficult, lead to disjointed work and despair when you don’t achieve them. Instead it is about focusing on the smaller things that you think will put you on the path to tackling the larger part.

The story of civil rights – people will be unlikely to respond to ‘let’s end inequality’ meaningfully – how do you even start?

Wedge issues

Not small things for the sake of small things but that you assess as flash points, possible points of impact

Assessing external opportunities

Feedback loops

What can we impact?

Outputs – full control, what we produce and can ‘guarantee’

Quality outcomesDo people like the material, does it resonate. These feedback into the content we produce and inform us how to make it better

Outcomes on determinantsDid it increase their knowledge, are they more motivated – also useful for feedback loops

Action outcomes – if we wanted people to do something did they do it? This is unlikely to be the result of just our material but is part of what we aim for

Outcomes

Impact – what we hope and dream of but is a combination of our efforts and others’, we are not guaranteeing this will result from our work but we hope to show that our work could have or did contribute.

Social movements

OrganisingThe value of mass participationSocial movements as a pyramid

Organisers – planning, keeping momentum driving the agenda, people with a plan

Mass participation – people need the sense of contributing / sacrificing. Product boycotts / sponsored runs etc

Organisers

Large-scale social change, involving mass participation, is driven by committed individuals who mobilise people around shared goals.

Key qualities of an organizer: relationship-building (bringing people together, uniting them around a common purpose, understanding leadership as relational –leaders need followers)story-telling (through stories people are motivated, the why of taking action; identity)strategizing (ensuring optimal use of resources and skills / turning what we have into what we need to get what we want)action (turning commitments to action or outcomes, ensuring skills, metrics and accountability to do so)structuring (clarity of purpose, norms and roles – including shifts in who is playing a leadership role).

What does it all mean for Femina?

Ready-made platforms – deciding what they best convey and achieve

Fema clubs as a good basis for organisation – how do you find the most motivated individuals who can lead the charge within these structures?

What issues? Or just wanting young people to engage more?

Is it demand side engagement that you are most interested – putting you in the accountability field? Or direct action too?

Unpacking the relationship between entrepreneurship and agency