Citizens’ Initiatives to Curb Political Corruption: The Case of Citizen Observatories in Colombia

Scholars have found that social accountability initiatives create constraints in political power, helping control corruption. However, their success has been connected to contextual factors linked to democracy quality. These conditions are almost inexistent or do not exist in fragile democratic contexts like Global South countries. This article shows evidence that, despite the institutional challenges faced by these initiatives in the Global South, they have produced changes in local governance and control of corruption. By analyzing the case of the Citizens Observatories to local councils in Colombia, this article sheds light on the mechanisms that help control and prevent corruption. In-depth semi-structured interviews and document analysis reveal that the observatories’ goals have helped increase transparency and accountability in Colombian municipalities.