Involving citizens and local communities in development clearly matters, and development interventions that do not take account of local needs and priorities can fail. But what do we really know about the success of community led initiatives in different settings? Does decentralisation always ensure that government is brought closer to – and is more accountable to – local populations? 

This event will build on a recent World Bank Policy Research Report, Localising development: does participation work’, examining community development and decentralisation projects around the world, which finds that such projects often fail to be sensitive to complex contexts and that they are not a substitute for weak central states. This timely event will therefore reflect on a range of experience from research and practice, to explore whether community participation, and under what conditions, leads to greater accountability and better outcomes.

The next event on 12 June asks if Malawian elections will make a significant difference for its citizens and for progress on development outcomes.