Mutual Accountability at country level: emerging good practice

Mutual accountability is a practical response to recent experiences in building greater transparency and accountability at country level - and the lessons learned about the role of country ownership in delivering development results. However, it remains little explored in conceptual and practical terms despite the strong focus on the Paris Declaration. This study covers experiences in 19 countries with a special focus on Rwanda, Mozambique and Vietnam.

Despite the guidance in the Paris and Accra declarations, the authors assert that mutual accountability is still very much an emerging practice, and an agreed, practical definition does not yet exist. There is, however, sufficient experience to identify some critical elements in a mutual accountability process. The paper asserts that these include, first generating a shared agenda through clear, specified goals and reciprocal commitments; second, monitoring and reviewing these commitments and actions. Both of these elements interrelate with a third – debate, dialogue and negotiation.

The authors state that empirical study of different elements of mutual accountability at country level illustrates that significant experimentation is ongoing. It shows that there is no simple formula, but there are a number of critical elements that increase the likelihood that it will be achieved such as confidence (and reciprocal trust); coherence (through ownership and leadership); capacity (and information); credible incentives; complementarity; create an evidence base; and build political and technical capacity.

The authors offer a number of recommendations including:

• it will be important to continue to give priority to experimentation and ‘learning-by-doing’ at partner country level. This process can be supported and guided by donors and by the commitments in the Paris and Accra agendas, as well as the many initiatives of support at regional and global level (e.g. the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness)
  
• a close linkage between mutual accountability and domestic accountability should be recognised. Donors could play a role in supporting local accountability mechanisms such as parliaments, independent oversight institutions and Civil Society Organisations. However, it is important that this is done in a way that does not undermine the leadership role of recipient countries
  
• there is a need to further expand the understanding of mutual accountability and its relationship with other aid effectiveness. Also gather evidence and monitor commitments and engage in dialogue and debate
  
• partner countries should aim to strengthen their public financial management and statistical capacity, while donor countries could focus on their capacity to generate information on aid. There is also a need for donors to decrease the individual reporting burden for recipient governments.