Citizen Report Cards, CRC

Citizen Report Cards (CRC) are a feedback tool designed to amplify citizens’ voices by systematically assessing their experiences with local democracy and public services. Rooted in ICLD’s commitment to strengthening local democracy, CRC gather valuable feedback from citizens on key issues such as service accessibility, participation, and satisfaction with services provided by local governments.

Background and Purpose

The Citizen Report Card methodology is rooted in ICLD’s dedication to strengthening local democracy through meaningful citizen engagement. Originally inspired by public service feedback tools, CRCs have been adapted by ICLD to evaluate citizens’ experiences with local democratic processes. These surveys focus on four core values fundamental to democracy: equity, participation, transparency, and accountability. By prioritising these values, CRCs aim to empower citizens and ensure their voices are integral to evaluating and enhancing public services and local governance.

The primary purpose of CRCs is to systematically assess the experiences of citizens, particularly marginalized groups, with local governments involved in ICLD projects. Through these surveys, ICLD seeks to:

1. Monitor Progress: Track changes in local democracy and service delivery, aligning with ICLD’s long-term goals of fostering equitable and transparent governance.
2. Provide Feedback: Offer local governments actionable insights for improving services based on citizen feedback.
3. Enhance Citizen Influence: Strengthen channels for citizen participation, enabling communities to influence projects and policies impacting their lives.
4. Evaluate Core Democratic Values: Measure access to and implementation of equity, participation, transparency, and accountability in local governance.

This structured approach ensures that the voices of youth, women, people with disabilities, and individuals from less-affluent areas are heard, fostering a more inclusive and participatory democratic process.

Core Values of CRC Surveys

The CRC surveys measure citizen experiences across four core values of democracy:

Equity: Access to services for all citizens, regardless of socio-economic status.

Participation: Opportunities for citizens to engage in local governance.

Transparency: Availability of information about local government actions and budgets.

Accountability: Citizens’ ability to hold local governments responsible for their actions.

How CRCs Work

The CRC process is structured into seven key stages, ensuring that feedback from citizens is collected, analysed, and used to improve local governance. Here’s how the CRC process unfolds:

1. Recruitment: Local government and a survey supervisor are engaged.
2. Pre-survey Groundwork: Permissions are arranged, and the community (leaders) is informed.
3. Sampling & Customisation: A sample plan is created, and the survey is tailored to the local context.
4. Field Work & Quality Checks: Data is collected from citizens, with quality checks to ensure accuracy.
5. Data Analysis: The data is analysed to uncover key insights on local democracy and service delivery.
6. Dissemination: Findings are shared with local governments and stakeholders for feedback.
7. Improvement: Local governments use the insights to adjust policies and improve services.

Relevance to Democracy

Citizen Report Cards (CRC) directly strengthen democratic participation by giving ordinary citizens the power to assess how well their local governments are fulfilling democratic principles. Democracy thrives when citizens can voice their experiences and concerns, especially regarding fairness, transparency, and accountability in governance. CRCs create an open, participatory dialogue between citizens and local governments, allowing citizens to have a tangible impact on the services that affect their lives.

By promoting bottom-up accountability, CRCs provide local governments with the insights they need to improve their governance structures. This fosters a more inclusive and participatory democratic environment where marginalised voices are heard and addressed.

In essence, CRCs not only measure the health of local democracy but also contribute to its improvement by identifying gaps in service delivery and governance, making it a vital tool for democratic progress.

Why is it Important for Local Governments?

Citizen Report Cards (CRC) offer local governments an essential tool for improving governance by directly engaging with citizens. By gathering firsthand feedback, local governments can gain valuable insights into how their services are perceived and experienced. This enables them to:

• Identify Gaps in Service Delivery: CRCs highlight areas where services may be lacking or where citizens feel underserved, allowing local governments to make informed adjustments.
• Promote Accountability and Trust: Regularly assessing citizen feedback fosters a culture of accountability, enhancing transparency and building trust between local governments and their communities.
• MarginalisedTarget Marginalised Groups: By focusing on the experiences of marginalised groups—such as women, youth, and people with disabilities—CRCs ensure that local governments provide equitable services and address the needs of all citizens.
• Improve Citizen Engagement: CRCs create a feedback loop between citizens and local officials, encouraging ongoing dialogue and participation in local governance.
• Monitor and Evaluate Progress: By conducting CRCs at different points in time, local governments can track their progress, measure improvements, and ensure they are meeting their democratic goals and service commitments.

See How Citizen Report Cards Work

Explore how Citizen Report Cards (CRC) empower citizens to share their experiences and provide valuable feedback to improve local democracy and public services. These short videos with Caren Kamau from Kajiado County, Kenya and Dr. Gordon Okomo from Homa Bay County, Kenya highlight the CRC process and its impact on fostering accountability, transparency, and citizen participation.

Examples of Past CRC Projects:

• In Jinja, Uganda, the survey revealed significant gaps in citizen participation, transparency, and equitable access to local governance and health care services, underscoring the need for targeted efforts to empower women, address barriers to information, and improve healthcare infrastructure and responsiveness.
• In Machakos, Kenya, CRC results showed gaps in awareness of local government efforts to protect forests, despite strong community interest in environmental initiatives.
• In Rufunsa, Zambia, surveys revealed a participation gap between men and women, highlighting barriers for youth and women in local politics. 
• In Uasin Gishu, Kenya the survey highlighted strong satisfaction with health care services, particularly cancer care, but revealed challenges in participation, transparency, and access to information for women, youth, and low-income households, emphasising the need for targeted efforts to empower marginalised groups and enhance local governance.

For more information or to collaborate with ICLD on MEL initiatives, please contact:
Joel Wernersson
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager, Assistant Director of Knowledge Center
Email: joel.wernersson@icld.se