Bringing Citizens Back In:

In recent years there has been considerable research and development practice attention focused on the role of citizens in demanding accountability from public sector organisations in developing countries. Yet, limited attention has been paid to explaining exactly how citizen "voice"/demand for accountability can led to measurable improvements in service delivery performance in these organisations. The following book addresses this gap through examining two public sector organisations in Andhra Pradesh State, Southern India – the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water) and Department of Registration and Stamps – which undertook customer-focused, service delivery reforms at the end of the 1990s. An important finding from these cases is that consistent demand for accountability from citizens provided new sources of information to senior mangers which they could then use to hold ‘front-line'' workers to account. A key lesson for service-focused, public sector reform in developing countries, is that transparent, cost-effective, and accessible citizen-based accountability mechanisms can lead to long-term organisational transformation and sustained improvements in service delivery performance.