Resumen

CUNILL GRAU, Nuria. Social Accountability and Social Rights: The Challenge of Integrality. Gest. polít. pública [online]. 2009, vol.18, n.1, pp.3-37. ISSN 1405-1079.

This work puts the accent on the challenge of integrality both in the approach and in the institutional designs of social accountability. It assumes that the specificity lies in its autonomous and political nature, while expressing the regulatory function of society on the State. The first argument is that enforceability of social, economic and cultural rights needs to deploy in all areas and processes occurring within their real scope. The second argument is that effectiveness of social accountability -in other words, the fact that it might turn into consequences for public powers- is in large measure determined by the indirect and direct power resources that enshrine the institutionalism of State. Its legitimacy, however, depends on the full autonomy of the social accountability from the State. The way it handles this tension between dependence and independence from the State is crucial. This document provides an analysis of how these issues are being addressed in Latin America and also outlines some of the mechanisms already available to meet the challenge of the integrality of social accountability.

Palabras llave : social accountability; social policy; social programs; social services; Latin America.

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