Citizen Voice and State Accountability

Towards Theories of Change that Embrace Contextual Dynamics

This paper puts forward a model for developing theories of change (ToCs) that are better grounded in dynamic socioeconomic and political contexts. In order to do so, it suggests an analytical approach which might be useful for understanding contextual dynamics and inform the mapping of citizen voice and accountability (CV&A) outcomes. It is envisaged that the ongoing mapping of the contexts in which interventions are taking place will improve ToCs, which will in turn result in better results. Political economy analysis (PEA) is suggested as a tool to understand context, and outcome mapping (OM) for mapping out more realistic outcomes, informed by PEA: the two tools are linked in a logical and analytical way in order to maximise on their inherent strengths. However, the focus is still on developing a better understanding of CV&A change processes in terms of what works and under what circumstances, rather than on the tools per se.

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