Presented on May 23, 2018 during the G-Watch 2018 Learning Exchange on Movement Approach to Accountability held in Cebu City, Philippines

1. Explaining the
SCALING ACCOUNTABILITY MATRIX
Government Watch (G-Watch)
National Meeting and Learning Exchange
23-26 May 2018
Cebu City

2. The Scaling
Accountability
Matrix (SAM) is
used to determine
the degree of
vertical integration
of a particular
citizens’ initiative.

3. There are multiple levels of governance:
Ø International level
Ø National level
Ø Province
Ø City/Municipality
Ø Barangay

4. A vertically integrated citizens’ initiative is:
• multi-level (present at all critical levels)
• multi-action (utilizes a wide variety of tactics and
approaches)

5. Vertical integration is a framework of analysis that is able
to bring out the details of:
• The combination of actors and actions at a given
level.
• The intensity of the use of action given scale and
representation and the extent of use of action/ strategy
by actors.

6. The Scaling Accountability Map is composed of three tables:
vConstituency-Building – the various actions that citizens
employ at different levels in order to strengthen their
organizations and expand their base.
vInterfacing with the State – the various actions that
citizens and citizen groups undertake to influence the
decisions of the state.
vActions of Anti-Accountability Forces – the multiple-level
actions that elites and vested interests undertake to thwart
accountability.

7. The actions of anti-accountability forces can be
categorized into two broad types:
1. Proactive efforts to influence decision-making
processes and policy implementation (e.g.,
engagement in elections, influencing appointments,
making sure the person in charge has smooth working
relationships with them, etc.)
2. Reactive actions against efforts to hold the forces of
impunity to account (e.g., harassment, legal cases,
counter-propaganda, etc.)

8. The Scaling Accountability Map can show the multiple types of action that citizens
and citizen use groups with varying degrees of intensity and scope (geographic
coverage) at each particular stage.
The tool attempts to create an accessible way to map the scale, coverage and
intensity of actions.
Cells that are filled-in identify the type of action and the level at which is executed.
The color of the filling indicates the intensity of civic engagement at each level, for
each repertoire of action – darker tones meaning more intense engagement.
High Intensity:
Moderate Intensity:
Low Intensity:

9. Scaling map of CSO constituency-building across levels
CONSTITUENCY-BUILDING
LEVEL OF ACTION
Constituency-building
approaches:
Very local
(community/
barangay)
City/
Municipality
Province/
Region
National International
Grassroots organizing/
awareness-building
Coalition-building among
already-organized, shared
constituency
Cross-sectoral coalition-
building
Mass collective action/protest
Public education strategy
Independent CSO monitoring of
policy implementation
Horizontal exchange of
experiences/deliberation
Participatory process to
develop CSO policy alternative
Strategic use of ICT for
constituency-building

10. Scaling map of CSO interfaces with the state across levels
INTERFACE
WITH THE STATE
LEVEL OF ACTION
CSO interfacing with the state:
Very local
(community,
barangay)
City/
Municipality
Province/
Region
National International
Policy advocacy – executive
authorities (mayor, governor, etc.)
Policy advocacy – legislature (town
council, state legislature, parliament)
Legal recourse
(case-based or strategic)
Participation in “invited spaces”
[shared but government-controlled]
Participation in “claimed spaces”
[shared with government, created in
response to CSO initiative]
Engagement with public accountability
agencies (ombudsman, audit bureaus,
human rights commissions)

11. Scaling Map of Actions of Anti-Accountability Forces Across Levels
ACTIONS OF ANTI-ACCOUNTABILITY
FORCES
LEVEL OF ACTION
Anti-Accountability Approaches: Very local (community,
barangay)
City/
Municipality
Province/
Region
National International
Rent-seeking
Vote-buying
Running for office
Influencing appointments of civil servants
Lobbying the legislature
Lobbying the executive
Filing legal cases
(Counter) propaganda/ disinformation
campaigns—mass actions, fora, public
meetings
(Counter) propaganda/ disinformation
campaigns—use of ICT, media campaigns
Harassment
Killings
Coalition-building/linkages with fellow anti-
accountability actors

12. Two studies using the
Scaling Accountability Matrix

14. These papers are freely downloadable at
www.g-watch.org
and at
www.accountabilityresearch.org