Lhe world is experiencing an epidemic of mistrust, cynicism and doubt. People fear that all politicians are the same, interested only in serving their own interests. Such views create fertile ground for populists, who present themselves as outside the establishment and on the side of “ordinary people.” They thrive in a race to the bottom: divisionism, nationalism, protectionism. Faced with such attitudes, even well-intentioned governments struggle to work with citizens.
We don’t think it has to be this way. From local to global levels, civil society initiatives are producing important positive changes. There are countless examples of civil society working with governments, using the principles and modalities of “open government” to re-engage citizens, rebuild trust and achieve results.
Our first example comes from the local level, in Tanzania. Working with citizen activists, a civil society organization called Twaweza (“we can do it,” in Swahili) helped citizens identify and drive the changes they wanted in their communities. In the village of Kadoke, often cut off from the world during the rainy season, residents have prioritized better roads; working with local authorities and using volunteer labor to extend and improve the local road network. In the villages of Stahabu and Muungano where there were no primary schools, these citizen activists mobilized local residents to build classrooms, persuaded politicians to provide funding and connect them to schools already established in neighboring villages. Other projects have led to improved water supplies, clinics, market facilities and more.
In East Africa, the Sauti za Wananchi (“voice of the people”) initiative aims to make citizens’ voices heard in decision-making. By using mobile phones to collect nationally representative data on citizens’ opinions and experiences, the results are widely disseminated and shared with policy makers. In Kenya, the Independent Police Oversight Authority has collected public opinion data and strengthened its monitoring of the police in response. In Uganda, a tax poll revealed both widespread distrust of tax authorities and a misunderstanding of various taxes, prompting authorities to adjust their public communication. Across the region, similar policy changes have been made in health, water supply, response to the Covid-19 epidemic, or food security.
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