SERI is built on a specific model, employing a unique working methodology. Driven by community issues, SERI aims to address local problems in structural ways through a close interweaving of research, policy advocacy and public interest litigation. This approach seeks to match problems on the ground with resolutions, whether in the form of engagement with government, formation of civil society advocacy networks, or the uptake of strategic litigation. SERI facilitates interaction between communities and the government and communities and courts on a range of social and economic rights-related issues. This will advance the realisation of socio-economic rights and contribute to participatory democracy and public accountability in South Africa.