Social Accountability (SAc) is a process of constructive engagement between citizens and government aimed at improving performance in the use of public resources to deliver services, enhance peoples’ welfare, and protect individuals’ rights. Two forces drive social accountability: citizen groups, who are direct beneficiaries of public services, and government, which provides the open space for citizen participation in monitoring public programs. Further, four elements are essential to creating an enabling environment in which social accountability can take effect;

1. Organized and capable citizen groups;
2. Government champions who are willing to engage;
3. Broad access to public information; and
4. Contextual appropriateness of initiatives

Social accountability tools and actions include participatory planning, budget monitoring, expenditure tracking, procurement monitoring, and citizen report cards, among others. These tools can be used to improve procurement monitoring, which looks at bringing about greater transparency in the procurement cycle to uncover and prevent fraud and corruption, and to improve efficiency, productivity and quality in the delivery of goods and services.