Citizen feedback surveys to highlight corruption in public services: the experience of Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore

Citizen feedback surveys to highlight corruption in public services: the experience of Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore

Published Jan 1998

Author

K. Gopakumar

Publisher

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What are the benefits of citizen feedback surveys in highlighting corruption in public services

This articles deals with the benefit of citizen feedback surveys to highlight corruption in public services. It focuses upon the Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore.

Conclusions:

  • Information barriers and asymmetry are often quoted as major contributing factors to the wide spread prevalence of systemic corruption. The situation is acute in the interface between monopoly service providers and service recipients (citizens)
  • Where exit options do not exist, "voice" mechanisms become the only viable and potent avenue to facilitate better response and demand more accountability. The Report Cards evolved by Public Affairs Centre illustrates the potency of one such "voice" mechanism
  • PAC’s experience with Report Cards confirm the value and potency of public feedback mechanisms both to enable citizens to signal service providers about their performance and to stimulate the latter to respond to these signals. A unique feature of the Report Card is the way in which it focuses attention on corruption, a phenomenon that has always been difficult to pinpoint and quantifyGetting the givers of bribes to identify the agencies involved achieves a measure of specificity and credibility.
  • Comparison between agencies, locations, etc., attracts public attention and reflects the harsh glare of public scrutiny on the agencies. The Report Card on corruption gives organised citizen groups the kind of information they need to seek reform in specific agencies and to demand greater public accountability

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