Dimensions of Accountability in Somaliland is a pilot research project to investigate dimensions of accountability in Somaliland, focusing on how institutional pluralism affects accountability in the country.

Accountability exists when those who set and implement a society’s rules are answerable to the people who live under those rules. Our aim is to enable policy makers to better tailor future projects and interventions to dimensions of accountability in the Somali society; based on increased knowledge on the principles, values and norms that traditionally underlie accountability among Somali people and how those interact with present-day formal governing institutions.

We will address our research question through in-depth research on three case studies:

1. taxation reforms;
2. criminal cases and legal pluralism;
3. provision of public and private health services.

We plan to supplement these empirical studies with a fourth complementary case on land disputes primarily based on secondary data from the Rift Valley Institute (RVI).

This project is funded by BMB Mott MacDonald.

The project has been conducted by PRIO reserachers in collaboration with independent researchers:

• Mohamed Aden Hassan, who is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London.
• Ridwan Osman, who is a doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge.

and local research assistants:

• Abdifatah Omar, who has worked on the case on criminal cases and legal pluralism.
• Ahmed Atteye, who has worked on the case on taxation reforms.
• Nasra Jama, who has worked on the case on provision of public and private health services.