Exploring the Civic Architecture of Accountability in Contemporary Public Policy Systems

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: 2024-01-20
Keywords:
Civil society organizations, Public accountability, Policy monitoring, Participatory governance, Transparency, Strategic advocacy, Institutional reform

Main Article Content

Sulaksono Sulaksono
Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Rommy Hardyansah
Universitas Sunan Giri Surabaya, Indonesia
Al-Araf Assadallah Marzuki
Badan Riset Inovasi Nasional, Indonesia
Antonino Pedro Marsal
Instituto Boaventura De Timor Leste

Abstract

This study investigates the mechanisms through which civil society organizations (CSOs) monitor and influence the implementation and accountability of public policy. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature spanning governance, political science, and development studies, the analysis reveals that CSOs engage in multifaceted strategies including grassroots data collection, policy analysis, strategic litigation, digital monitoring, and transnational advocacy. These functions allow CSOs to operate as both watchdogs and co-governors in contemporary public administration. The findings highlight that the efficacy of these monitoring practices depends on legal environments, institutional openness, resource access, and civic agency. CSOs enhance transparency by transforming technical policy information into public knowledge and creating participatory spaces where citizens can hold institutions accountable. The review also emphasizes the growing importance of digital innovation and transnational networks in expanding the scope of civil society monitoring. Challenges such as civic space contraction, co-optation, and fragmentation are acknowledged, but CSOs’ adaptive resilience continues to sustain their influence. The study concludes that civil society oversight reconfigures democratic governance by embedding accountability within everyday civic practices. It argues for policy frameworks that facilitate institutional responsiveness to CSO engagement and calls for empirical research that further examines relational dynamics, knowledge translation, and collaborative monitoring paradigms.

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2024): Journal of Social Science Studies (JOS3)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Sulaksono, S., Hardyansah, R., Marzuki, A.-A. A. ., & Marsal, A. P. . (2024). Exploring the Civic Architecture of Accountability in Contemporary Public Policy Systems. Journal of Social Science Studies, 4(1), 271-278. https://jos3journals.id/index.php/jos3/article/view/314

References

Abdulah, M. H. A. B., Gardi, B., & Darmawan, D. (2021). Innovation in Human Resource Management to enhance Organizational Competitiveness in the Era of Globalization. Journal of Social Science Studies, 1(1), 51-58.

Anagnostou, D., & Mungiu-Pippidi, A. (2014). Domestic Implementation of Human Rights Judgments in Europe: Legal Infrastructure and Government Effectiveness Matter. European Journal of International Law, 25(1), 205-227.

Arifin, S., & Darmawan, D. (2021). Technology Access and Digital Skills: Bridging the Gaps in Education and Employment Opportunities in the Age of Technology 4.0. Journal of Social Science Studies, 1(1), 163-168.

Bentley, C. M. (2021). 13 Three Problems Facing Civil Society Organizations in the Development Sector in Adopting Open Institutional Design. Critical Perspectives on Open Development, 245(1), 1-10.

Bratton, M. (1994). Civil Society and Political Transition in Africa. IDR Reports, 11(6), 1–21.

Buntaine, M. T. (2015). Accountability in Global Governance: Civil Society Claims for Environmental Performance at the World Bank. International Studies Quarterly, 59(1), 99-111.

Chawla, A. (2021). Social Audit, Accountability and Accounting–An Indian Perspective. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 11(1), 10-26.

Chikoto-Schultz, G., & Uzochukwu, K. (2016). Governing Civil Society in Nigeria and Zimbabwe: A Question of Policy Process and Non-State Actors’ Involvement. Nonprofit Policy Forum De Gruyter, 7(2), 137-170.

Cornwall, A. (2002). Making Spaces, Changing Places: Situating Participation in Development. IDS Working Paper 170, England.

Darmawan, D., Gardi, B., & Da Silva, E. B. (2023). Exploration of Changes in Management and Employee Work Relations in Multinational Companies in the Era of Literacy-Based Digitalization. Journal of Science, Technology and Society (SICO), 4(2), 43–54.

Datzberger, S., & Nguyen, T. (2018). Deconstructing Civil Society Actors and Functions: on the Limitations of International Frameworks for Fragile States. Social Sciences, 7(2), 30-38

de Camargo Penteado, C. L., dos Santos, M. B. P., & de Paula Aguiar Araújo, R. (2019). Civil Society and Online Citizen Participation: A Case Study of the Nossas Cidades Network. The Internet and Health in Brazil: Challenges and Trends, 2(1), 65-84.

DeHoog, R. H. (2015). Collaborations and Partnerships Across Sectors: Preparing the Next Generation for Governance. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 21(3), 401-416.

Dupuy, K., Ron, J., & Prakash, A. (2016). Hands Off My Regime! Governments’ Restrictions on Foreign Aid to Non-Governmental Organizations in Poor and Middle-Income Countries. World Development, 84(1), 299-311.

Edelman, M. (1988). Constructing the Political Spectacle. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Edwards, M. (2004). Civil Society. Polity Press, Cambridge.

Fox, J. (1996). How does Civil Society Thicken? The Political Construction of Social Capital in Rural Mexico. World Development, 24(6), 1089–1103.

Fox, J. A. (1996). How does Civil Society Thicken? The Political Construction of Social Capital in Rural Mexico. World Development, 24(6), 1089–1103.

Fung, A., & Wright, E. O. (2003). Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance. Verso, London.

Gaventa, J. (2004). Towards Participatory Governance: Assessing the Transformative Possibilities. Participation: From tyranny to transformation. Zed Books, London.

Gaventa, J. (2006). Finding the Spaces for Change: A Power Analysis. IDS Bulletin, 37(6), 23–33.

Gilbert, L., & Mohseni, P. (2018). Disabling Dissent: The Colour Revolutions, Autocratic Linkages, and Civil Society Regulations in Hybrid Regimes. Contemporary politics, 24(4), 454-480.

Gilbert, L., & Mohseni, P. (2018). Disabling Dissent: The Colour Revolutions, Autocratic Linkages, and Civil Society Regulations in Hybrid Regimes. Contemporary Politics, 24(4), 454-480.

Goetz, A. M., & Jenkins, R. (2001). Hybrid Forms of Accountability: Citizen Engagement in Institutions of Public-Sector Oversight in India. Public Management Review, 3(3), 363–383.

Grimes, M. (2013). The Contingencies of Societal Accountability: Examining the Link Between Civil Society and Good Government. Studies in Comparative International Development, 48(2), 380-402.

Grover, R. (2022). The Geopolitics of Digital Rights Activism: Evaluating Civil Society's Role in the Promises of Multistakeholder Internet Governance. Telecommunications Policy, 46(10), 1-10.

Halizah, S. N., & Mardikaningsih, R. (2022). Accommodating Social Change in Sustainability Policy: Solutions for a Just and Relevant Society. Journal of Social Science Studies, 2(2), 299-304.

Hariani, M., Mardikaningsih, R., & Essa, N. E. (2022). HR and Environmental Policy Management Strategies to Create a Sustainable Organization that Improves Company Performance. Journal of Social Science Studies, 2(2), 249-254.

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. SAGE Publications, London.

Harvey, B., Jones, L., Cochrane, L., & Singh, R. (2019). The Evolving Landscape of Climate Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Roles have NGOs Played?. Climatic Change, 157(1), 81-98.

Hellmeier, S., & Weidmann, N. B. (2020). Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Government Mobilization in Authoritarian Regimes. Comparative Political Studies, 53(1), 71-108.

Hickey, S., & Mohan, G. (2004). Participation: From Tyranny to Transformation. Zed Books, London.

Jesson, J., Matheson, L., & Lacey, F. M. (2001). Doing your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques. SAGE Publications, London.

Keck, M. E., & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Cornell University Press, Ithaca.

Koenane, M. L., & Mangena, F. (2017). Ethics, Accountability and Democracy as Pillars of Good Governance-Case of South Africa. African Journal of Public Affairs, 9(5), 61-73.

Mardikaningsih, R., & Hariani, M. (2021). Realizing Sustainability in Public Policy: Building a Balance between Economy, Social, and Environment. Journal of Social Science Studies, 1(1), 191-196.

Marsal, A. P., Arifin, S., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Development of a Legal System to Strengthen the Direction and Structure of Social Welfare Policy. Journal of Social Science Studies, 1(1), 197-202.

McGee, R., & Gaventa, J. (2011). Shifting Power? Assessing the Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives. IDS Working Papers, 2011(383), 1-39.

Nalin, C., Saidi, S. A. B., Hariani, M., Mendrika, V., & Issalillah, F. (2022). The Impact of Social Disparities on Public Health: An Analysis of Service Access, Quality of Life, and Policy Solutions. Journal of Social Science Studies, 2(1), 39-46.

Olsen, J. P. (2013). The Institutional Basis of Democratic Accountability. West European Politics, 36(3), 447-473.

Paffenholz, T. (Ed.). (2010). Civil Society & Peacebuilding: A Critical Assessment. Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO.

Pallas, C. L., & Uhlin, A. (2014). Civil Society Influence on International Organizations: Theorizing the State Channel. Journal of Civil Society, 10(2), 184-203.

Reynolds, E. B., Schneider, B. R., & Zylberberg, E. (2019). Innovation in Brazil. Advancing Development in the 21st Century. Routledge, London and New York.

Rojak, J. A. (2021). The Effectively Leading Manifestation of Public Service-Oriented Governance. Journal of Social Science Studies, 1(2), 89-96.

Rojak, J. A., & Al Hakim, Y. R. (2023). Implementation of Corporate Governance in Improving Transparency and Sustainability of Companies in Global Market. Journal of Social Science Studies, 3(2), 101-106.

Rumbul, R. (2016). Developing Transparency through Digital Means? Examining Institutional Responses to Civic Technology in Latin America. JeDEM-eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, 8(3), 12-31.

Salamon, L. M., & Anheier, H. K. (1997). Defining the Nonprofit Sector: A Cross-National Analysis. Manchester University Press, Manchester.

Schrama, R. (2019). The Monitoring Capacity of Civil Society Networks: A Social Network Analysis in the Case of Gender Equality Policy. Journal of Civil Society, 15(2), 123-142

Shapiro, S. A. (2019). Rulemaking Inaction and the Failure of Administrative Law. Duke Law Journal, 68(8), 1805-1842.

Sieder, R., Schjolden, L., & Angell, A. (2005). The Judicialization of Politics in Latin America). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Sikkink, K. (2005). The Transnational Dimension of the Judicialization of Politics in Latin America. In the Judicialization of Politics in Latin America. Palgrave Macmillan US, New York.

Smith, J., Mallouris, C., Lee, K., & Alfvén, T. (2017). The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Monitoring the Global AIDS Response. AIDS and Behavior, 21(2), 44-50.

Verbruggen, P. (2013). Gorillas in the Closet? Public and Private Actors in the Enforcement of Transnational Private Regulation. Regulation & Governance, 7(4), 512-532.

Waardenburg, M., & van de Bovenkamp, H. (2014). Civil Society Organisations as a Government Steering Mechanism: A Comparison between Sport Associations and Patient Organisations in the Netherlands. Palgrave Macmillan UK, London.

Wise, R. M., Fazey, I., Smith, M. S., Park, S. E., Eakin, H. C., Van Garderen, E. A., & Campbell, B. (2014). Reconceptualising Adaptation to Climate Change as Part of Pathways of Change and Response. Global environmental change, 28(1), 325-336.