An Assessment of the Impact of Bangalore Citizen Report Cards on the Performance of Public Agencies The Bangalore Citizen Report Card (CRC), pioneered by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC), provides an assessment of the satisfaction levels of citizens with regard to public services in Bangalore and ranks public service agencies (dealing with water, power, municipal services, transport, housing, telephones, banks and hospitals) in terms of their service performance.

	An Introduction to Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation for RAVI Grant Partners This document is intended for new RAVI grant partners (RGPs) as an introduction and framework for planning, monitoring and evaluation of your work.  This document forms part of the induction pack for RGPs.  It provides a basic framework for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) within RAVI

Civil Society as Idea and Civil Society as Process:The Case of Ghana In contemporary African political studies, the concept of civil society appears everywhere. From about 1990, debates surrounding African ‘democratization’ have often been stamped by a hegemonic idea of civil society. In its original conceptualization in political philosophy, civil society was not a thing to be studied but a theoretical construct used to understand observed phenomena. With its recent revival, civil society has become more the object of research and less an analytical category. The need to add new elements to existing theories or devise an entire new theory to understand political changes in Africa was a driving force in raising the concept of civil society and the possibility of a civil society theory to its current heights. This need brought with it the desire to realize civil society’s potential as both a conceptual tool and as a key to constructive change on the ground in Africa (see Harbeson 1994).

Ghana: Groups Work to Prevent Mining in Ghana's Forest Reserves A controversial government decision to grant permits for gold mining in Ghana's dwindling forest reserves threatens the survival of the forest and of the people who depend on the forest to meet their basic needs. Two Greengrants grantees are on the front lines of this battle: Wassa Association of Communities Against Mining (WACAM) and the Center for Public Interest Law (CEPIL). WACAM is an alliance of rural villagers who have been suffering the effects of gold mining for more than a hundred years. The Center for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) focuses on using the Ghanaian legal system to protect people in mining areas and improve public oversight of mining operations. Both organizations are a part of the National Coalition of Civil Society Groups Against Mining in Ghana's Forest Reserves. This coalition of 13 civil society organizations is campaigning to keep gold mining out of Ghana's remaining forest reserves. This is a report on their activities.

Networking for Change- A Policy Manual Introduction: It is through advocacy—a set of targeted actions in support of a specific cause— that a supportive and self-sustaining environment for family planning and reproductive health goals can be created. This training manual was prepared to help representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other formal groups of civil society form and maintain advocacy networks and develop effective family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) advocacy skills. The manual’s tools and approaches can be used to affect FP/RH policy decisions at the international, national, regional, and local levels.

Promoting the Participation of Women in Local Governance and Development: The Case of Ghana Summary: This paper describes initiatives in Ghana to promote the participation of women in local governance and the role of European support. Local governance is interpreted as the active involvement of the local population within the territorial boundaries of a local government in ensuring improved quality of service and leadership at the local [government] level. It includes greater participation by civil society in decision-making processes and involves consensus-building and civic awareness. In view of this, the paper focuses on efforts to increase women’s participation as councilors and as well as initiatives to enhance the involvement of women and women groups in decision-making, requiring accountability and accessing support from local governments. It also presents interventions promoted through local governments to reduce poverty and promote socio-economic development targeted at women and seeking to bridge gender gaps and the European support in these efforts. Beyond this general support, it also looks at the work of the Institute of Local Government Studies in this area and European involvement in this capacity-building and coordinating institution.