How Do Legal Strategies Advance Social Accountability? Evaluating Mechanisms in Colombia

This theory-building paper argues that there are four mechanisms by which legal strategies can enhance accountability.  The courts can help those affected by policy failures to overcome the collective action problem.  The courts can provide civil society with access to information about rights violations, malfeasance, and poor policy performance.  Legal strategies can set in motion court-backed reforms that redress immediate rights violations and strengthen state capacity for more accountable governance.  Court recognition can increase the symbolic and discursive resources of claimants, making their demands for accountability more effective.