Political Participation, Accountability and Development

Abstract

Debates on the extent to which democratic principles such as political participation and accountability matter for development and public policy outcomes continue in the literature. These questions have become more salient in the context of democratic backsliding, populism, and increasing polarisation, leading us to revisit how states and citizens engage in diverse political systems around the world. This panel draws together recent scholarship on contemporary cases that help update our understanding of everyday and crisis-time political dynamics at the local level. The papers in this panel emphasise empirically grounded dynamics of accountability, participation, and development that emphasise accessibility, connections, and renewal of linkages between states, elected officials, and citizens in the global south. In doing so, the papers help expand our conceptualisation of democracy, state-citizen relations, accountability, and the nature of social and personal interactions that define them.

Title	Details
The Feedback State? How the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Bangladeshi state to listen to its citizens	View Paper Details
At the Margins of the State: Civic and political engagement in difficult settings	View Paper Details