‘History obligates us to do it’: political capabilities of Indigenous grassroots leaders of health accountability initiatives in rural Guatemala

Abstract

Growing interest in how marginalised citizens can leverage countervailing power to make health systems more inclusive and equitable points to the need for politicised frameworks for examining bottom-up accountability initiatives. This study explores how political capabilities are manifested in the actions and strategies of Indigenous grassroots leaders of health accountability initiatives in rural Guatemala. Qualitative data were gathered through group discussions and interviews with initiative leaders (called defenders of the right to health) and initiative collaborators in three municipalities. Analysis was oriented by three dimensions of political capabilities proposed for evaluating the longer-term value of participatory development initiatives: political learning, reshaping networks and patterns of representation. Our findings indicated that the defenders’ political learning began with actionable knowledge about defending the right to health and citizen participation. The defenders used their understanding of local norms to build trust with remote Indigenous communities and influence them to participate in monitoring to attempt to hold the state accountable for the discriminatory and deficient healthcare they received. Network reshaping was focused on broadening their base of support. Their leadership strategies enabled them to work with other grassroots leaders and access resources that would expand their reach in collective action and lend them more influence representing their problems beyond the local level. Patterns of representing their interests with a range of local and regional authorities indicated they had gained confidence and credibility through their evolving capability to navigate the political landscape and seek the right authority based on the situation. Our results affirm the critical importance of sustained, long-term processes of engagement with marginalised communities and representatives of the state to enable grassroots leaders of accountability initiatives to develop the capabilities needed to mobilise collective action, shift the terms of interaction with the state and build more equitable health systems.