| Public-sector reform and privatization constitute a large part of the World Bank's lending and technical assistance programs. Such reforms affect the relationship between institutions and citizens, requiring of all parties a radical change in beliefs and perceptions about the nature of public goods and the balance between government responsibility and private-sector opportunity. They require a shift in the rights and responsibilities of all players and call for a national mobilization of civil servants, ministries, businesses, academics, media, managers, unions, consumers, associations, nongovernmental organizations and the public-at-large to come together to move reform forward. Consequently, the task of informing the public and actively engaging key audiences on critical reform issues has become more complex. Public expectations have set higher standards of transparency and accountability on the part of all players involved in the reform process. In order to meet these challenges, there is the need to design two-way communication programs on the basis of development impact rather than project outputs. This entails moving from isolated tactics (e.g., product-driven events or ad hoc interactions) to long-term strategies. Public communication programs are not only needed to build support for economic reform and privatization, but also to promote long-term changes in social and political behaviors.  |
These programs are based on strategies developed through a process that includes socio-political analysis of target groups, development and pre-testing of key messages, and use of the most appropriate communication channels. Fundamentally, this process involves the analysis of what types of stakeholders are affected by a privatization and what measures can be put in place to gain their support. It makes full use of the span of formal and informal communication channels available in a country, informing and building consensus, conveying a vision, publicizing progress and creating confidence in the process of reform. Public communication programs woven into all stages of a project's development define clear responsibilities for design and implementation, budget needs and ongoing monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the long-term impact of the program. Resources Communicating Economic Reform, by Cecilia Cabañero-Verzosa and Paul Mitchell (  33.7 KB, 10 pages) Public Communication Programs for Privatization Projects - A Toolkit for World Bank Task Team Leaders and Clients, by Daniele Calabrese (  313 KB, 64 pages)  Page updated November, 2004 |
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