What is ELBAG

Economic Literacy and Budget Accountability for Governance (ELBAG) is a process and framework that combines organising people, developing grounded monitoring mechanisms, democratising knowledge (particularly on economics) and using participatory tools and methods for building public accountability and transparency.

It creates space where people can discuss economy, and use it as an entry point to build inclusive and authentic democracy.  The aim is to ensure participation of poor and excluded, facilitate empowerment of people, reduce corruption, increase accountability in the processes of governance and policy making, particularly with regard to budget formulation, execution and economic policy. 

Objectives of ELBAG

Popular Mobilisation
The ELBAG process promotes popular mobilization, bringing people together to claim economic justice. Through the use of processes which promote dialogues, debates and collectivity of action such mobilization enables for development of processes to question, influence, challenge and change unjust development. The goal is to develop bases for collective action and unity of struggle against exploitation

Analysis of Local Economics and Continued Popular Education
ELBAG groups are organised around specific denial of rights or discrimination.  Initial engagement is promoted through introducing economic literacy, analysis of local economies and resource flows. Typically groups may discuss their livelihoods and analyse its economics. Groups may study the state of local development – infrastructure, public services such as schools, health centres, extension services etc analysing how public funds are used, and in the process analysing their own local area governance. Such collective analysis provides the basis for action to bring about tangible changes at the community level. Peoples motivation is maintained through advocacy and campaigning around strengthening grassroots monitoring mechanisms and democratising knowledge using participatory tools and methods for public accountability.

While learning occurs best in struggle and alternatives are crafted best at frontiers of action, such activity alone may not spontaneously generate a deep understanding of the situation. Conscious educational activities are also important and necessary. Elbag promotes continued education through popular materiels generated through democratic processes as well as  resourced from progressive knowledge hubs.

Access to information and Local Analysis of Economics and Budgets
Information is power. ELBAG promotes people's access to information. Examples taken from everyday household budgets are used to collectively study bigger governmental processes - such as how key budget decisions are made, how policies such as the privatization of water or health are decided and how the impact of World Trade Organisation agreements matters on the life and livelihoods of farmers and workers. Such collective learning creates demand within communities to seek information access. In the process it creates transparency and accountability in both public and private entities. Another important aspect is to develop media and promote such processes in the media.

Advocacy for public accountability using participatory tools and methods
ELBAG aims to put people in leadership of efforts aimed at policy change. Groups are supported to have at their disposal various instruments and tools developed through efforts of movements and NGOs in different parts of the world. Whereas some of the approaches that ELBAG draws on are well established, others are still under formulation. They instruments and tools include: Basic Economic Literacy, Budget Analysis, Social audits, Public hearings, People's report cards/opinion polls and poverty dialogues, participatory budgeting and planning, Reflect methods, assemblies, Community newspapers, radio, and wall papers or other public information processes. ELBAG combines the different methodologies in to an integrated programme of work that addresses issues at local, national and international levels.

Building Platforms. Establishing vertical and horizontal relationships
Community groups and other forums are supported to form vertical and horizontal relationships with the media, think-tanks, platforms and movements to contribute to challenging new modes of neo-liberal discourse and practice that deepen institutional bias in the economic policy and budgetary system in favour of the already powerful.

New forms of collective expression and solidarity alliance of movements are promoted with a transformational goal. In this regard, the current economic crisis offers a big opportunity to elaborate such a collective and unifying programme for change.