Redressing Grievances and Complaints Regarding Basic Service Delivery

Abstract:     
Redress procedures are important for basic fairness. In addition, they can help address principal-agent problems in the implementation of social policies and provide information to policy makers regarding policy design. To function effectively, a system of redress requires a well-designed and inter-linked supply of redress procedures as well as, especially if rights consciousness is not well-developed in a society, a set of organizations that stimulate and aggregate demand for redress. On the supply side, this paper identifies three kinds of redress procedures: administrative venues within government agencies, independent institutions outside government departments, and courts. On the demand side, the key institutions are nongovernmental organizations/civil society organizations and the news media, both of which require a receptive political and economic climate to function effectively. Overall, procedures for redressing grievances and complaints regarding basicservice delivery are under-developed in many countries, and deserve further analysis, piloting, and support.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 28

Keywords: Public Sector Corruption & Anticorruption Measures, Corruption & Anticorruption Law, Public Sector Regulation, Health Monitoring & Evaluation, Governance Indicators

working papers series