Substantive participation in decisions about economic reform is one of the frontiers of the World Bank’s involvement with civic engagement in ECA. Given that about half of all ECA operations are adjustment loans, the limited role of civic engagement in policy dialogue represents a serious challenge. As noted above, the Bank does not normally provide resources for borrowing governments to organize and facilitate citizen participation in policy design and implementation. Nevertheless, in many cases the most important obstacle to civic participation in adjustment operations is not funding, but rather the willingness of governments to share information and consider alternative perspectives.
Policy dialogue can influence the debate over priorities, trade-offs, distributional issues, costs and risks. Policy dialogue can improve the legitimacy of reform decisions that governments ultimately make. The PRSP process in ten ECA countries currently provides the opportunity for active participation of CSOs in implementation of participatory monitoring of poverty reduction initiatives. Moreover, opportunities for dialogue are expanding due to new communications technologies such as e-mail and the Internet, which make it possible for think-tanks and other non-government stakeholders to become rapidly proficient in complex policy issues, and to network and transmit information to CSOs and decision-makers.
In well-educated societies that are highly suspicious of government, transparency and accessibility to decision-makers are the keys to earning and sustaining public support for difficult reforms. A formal dialogue can help the government communicate its message coherently and anticipate opposition against as yet unexplained policy proposals. Some governments are beginning to see important benefits from engaging civil society, even when it includes political enemies. The very act of conducting transparent and participatory deliberations about reform alternatives can enhance a government’s image – both domestically and globally – as democratic and accountable. (For those countries engaged in EU accession, strong “institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and human rights” are a formal requirement.) Moreover, governments are realizing that CSOs may be able to help solve substantive problems.
However, because policy dialogue addresses fundamental decisions, it can be difficult to initiate and manage. Selecting stakeholders to participate is, in itself, a highly political undertaking and should be guided by an assessment of the legitimacy and representativeness of different groups. The World Bank can encourage governments to include critical voices in policy dialogue, especially when excluding the opposition is likely to polarize the political environment.
In this regard, the government in power has a unique and legitimate role in establishing the “rules of conduct” for policy dialogue. For example, to guard against gratuitous political attacks and grandstanding, the government can stipulate that participants limit their input to evidence and analysis. While there is always room to throw some barbs at those in power, such rules should reduce the risk that CSOs use policy dialogue to settle old scores. Those groups that are serious about participation will be unlikely to waste their opportunity when invited to contribute to deliberations about policy alternatives.
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