Paper short abstract:

What explains the variations in the effectiveness of CSOs in demanding transparency and accountability from duty bearers across different extractives? the paper aims to explain the variations in CSOs’ success in compelling duty bearers to be accountable in governing different forms of extractives.

Paper long abstract:

The role of CSOs/NGOs has received considerable attention in contemporary literature. However, insufficient knowledge exists on the conditions that explain the variations in the tactics, success or otherwise of CSOs in their pursuits not only across space but also, across different sectors. Contributing to this field of knowledge, the paper seeks to explain the varied outcomes of CSOs pursuits across different sectors and why. Thus, insights are drawn from the role of the civil society community in ensuring duty bearers/ruling elites enforce transparency and accountability mechanisms in Ghana’s mining and hydrocarbon sectors. Particularly, an explanation of the varied impact of CSOs in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors is offered. The paper argues that the strategies pursued by CSOs and the consequence of their outcomes are shaped by a combination of the nature of the sector’s domain in which they operate and the nature of the country’s political settlement. Given the differences in the dynamics of each sector and the variations in the nature of political settlement across countries, the pursuits of CSOs will be disparate. Beyond the heuristic contribution of the piece, the findings of the study will enhance the workings of CSOs and actors alike in their pursuits.