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Paper short abstract

This paper examines the discourses and practices of donors and the civil society organisations they fund to show how accountability is performed to balance a donor-funded civic space that is simultaneously highly productive and precarious.

Paper long abstract

Over the past two decades, donors have invested in pro-accountability programs and organisations to strengthen the Mozambican civic space. This paper explores the donor-funded civic space through the prism of accountability. I move the gaze from government institutions and public servants to focus on the discourses and practices of donors and the civil society organisations they fund. Drawing on interviews with representatives of pro-accountability donor programmes, intermediary civil society organisations and implementing partners, I show how accountability is performed to balance a donor-funded civic space that is simultaneously highly productive and precarious.