Candidate Entry into Local Government

This pilot considers the governance challenge of getting high human capital, high integrity, representative citizens to put themselves forward for consideration as political candidates. We plan to explore potential solutions to this challenge with our partners in government and civil society in connection with the 2023 Local Council Elections in Sierra Leone. We are applying for funding to develop and pilot an initiative that would: i) identify, screen, and encourage high quality potential candidates to enter politics; and ii) share information about these potential candidates with political parties and/or civil society organizations working to enhance the electoral process. If our application is successful, a pilot grant would specifically support: i) piloting variants of the proposed intervention in several communities; ii) collecting data on the current cohort of elected Local Councillors; and iii) hiring a research manager based in-country to oversee both activities.