Women who live in the urban slums of Veracruz in Mexico, blocking a highway in protest against lack of basic services such as water and electricity. Direct collective action is one strategy that citizens use to get access to their rights and increase accountability. Citizenship DRC, 2004

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright remains with the original authors but (unless stated otherwise) articles may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided id21 and originating author(s) and institution(s) are acknowledged. Copyright © 2003 id21. All rights reserved.