Community Scorecard: Promoting Participation and Accountability in Local Government using the ABCD approach

This policy brief explores how an Asset-Based and Citizen-Led Development (ABCD) approach can address low levels of public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Emfuleni, South Africa. While earlier findings show that the ABCD approach appears to activate a sense of responsibility and civic duty among citizens, there continued to be low levels of responsiveness among local government officials. To address this gap, the Community Scorecard was introduced and adopted in accordance with ABCD principles as a tool for direct dialogue and social accountability. Results from using this tool have informed recommendations for targeted capacity building, policy and legislative reviews, and a technical and financial support model to incentivize citizen-led solutions.