April 2 marks the end of Rwanda's 2015 Governance Month, Phase 1. This initiative, created by the Rwanda Governance Board, is designed to foster the public's understanding of governance, promote civil liberties, encourage government accountability, and increase civic participation by strengthening the dialogue between leaders and citizens. To support such efforts to bolster Rwanda's democratic governance, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) sponsored the Rwanda Threshold Program and commissioned Mathematica Policy Research to evaluate its impact.
Mathematica's rigorous evaluation focused on the effectiveness of key program activities in strengthening (1) the accountability of the Rwandan National Police (RNP), (2) the rule of law for policy reform, (3) the media, and (4) civic participation in government. The evaluation findings revealed that some activities, such as funding community radio stations, increased the citizens' trust in the local media. Likewise, evidence indicates that the program made citizens more willing to voice criticism about local government policies and services. Other activities, such as training judges in decision writing and encouraging citizens to give feedback to police, did not have positive impacts on governance.
For a recap of evaluation findings, watch the video and see our Rwanda Threshold Program graphic.
