CIVIL PARTICIPATION IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

NGOs target public authorities which includes parliament, government and public administration at local, regional, national, EU and international level.

The term civil participation refers to organised civil society including voluntary groups, non-profit organisations, associations, foundations, charities, as well as geographic or interest-based community and advocacy groups. The core activities of NGOs are focused on values of social justice, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. In these areas the purpose of NGOs is to promote causes and improve the lives of people.

Contributions of NGOs in the political decision-making process

Each step of the political decision-making process offers opportunities for NGOs and public authorities to interact.

1. Agenda setting

The political agenda is agreed by the parliament and government but can be shaped by NGOs, or groups of NGOs, through campaigns and lobbying for issues, needs and concerns. New policy initiatives are often the result of influence of the campaigns of NGOs. During this step NGOs aim to influence decision-makers on behalf of a collective interest and act in a way that is complementary to political debate.

Contributions of NGOs:

• Advocating: raise issues, concerns and needs for a specific user group, point of view or a general public interest that is not yet covered by legislation or other policy documents, instruments or measures;
• Information and awareness building: share NGO findings with the public authorities, involve and represent members, users and key citizen groups and act as channels to reach citizens; to listen, react and inform;
• Expertise and advice: experts with knowledge on a specific topic play a key role in setting the political agenda. Their analysis and research identify current and future needs in society and provide crucial perspectives;
• Innovation: development of new solutions and approaches; demonstrating how these may be brought onto the political agenda;
• Service provision: key actor in forming policy and creating alternative or non-existing services for a specific user group.

2. Drafting

Public authorities usually have well-established processes for policy drafting. Here NGOs are often involved in areas such as identifying problems, proposing solutions and providing evidence for their preferred proposal with, for example, interviews or research. Facilitating opportunities for consultation should be a key element in this step as well as various forms of dialogue to collect input from key stakeholders.

Contribution of NGOs:

• Advocating: guaranteeing that consideration is given to the needs and interests of stakeholders affected by the draft policy;
• Information and awareness building: NGOs inform members, users and key citizens’ groups about the drafting process;
• Expertise and advice: provide analyses and research on issues under consideration or raise additional priorities to be included in the policy draft;
• Innovation: provide solutions through the introduction of new approaches, practical solutions and concrete models which bring benefits to specific user groups;
• Service provision: input to policy drafting to ensure consideration is given to their specific users’ needs and that necessary conditions are met;
• Watchdog function: Follow the drafting process to make sure stakeholder concerns are considered and that the process is inclusive and transparent.

3. Decision

The forms of political decision-taking vary based on national context and legislation. Common characteristics are the establishment of a government policy directive by a ministry; or legislation, such as passing a law by parliamentary vote; or public referendum, which then requires enabling legislation. Draft laws and motions should be open to input and participation of NGOs. The public authorities should evaluate different views and opinions before the decision is taken. At this step, consultation is central to informed decision. However, the final power of choice lies with the public authorities, unless the decision is taken by a public vote, referendum or a co-decision mechanism.

Contribution of NGOs:

• Advocating: influencing the decision makers before a vote;
• Information and awareness building: informing membership, users and key citizens’ groups about the political decisions and their potential effect;
• Expertise and advice: provision of detailed analysis to inform and influence decision makers;
• Watchdog function: following the decision-making process, making sure it is democratic, transparent and optimally effective

4. Implementation

This is the step at which many NGOs are most active, for example in service delivery and project execution. Much of the work done by NGOs in the previous steps includes attempts to influence the implementation of policy. This phase is especially important to ensure that the intended outcome will be fulfilled. Access to clear and transparent information on expectations and opportunities is important at this step, as well as active partnerships.

Contribution of NGOs:

• Information and awareness building: primarily focused on public awareness raising, explanation of benefits or disadvantages and impact of policy;
• Service provision: one key actor in implementing policy initiatives, often carrying the main responsibility for delivery;
• Watchdog function: to assess and ensure that the policy is implemented as intended without harmful side-effects

5. Monitoring

At this point the role of NGOs is to monitor and assess the outcomes of the implemented policy. It is important to have in place an effective and transparent monitoring system that ensures the policy/programme achieves the intended purpose.

Contribution of NGOs:

• Advocating: monitor and voice whether the policy initiative reached the intended beneficiaries and had the intended outcome for society;
• Expertise and advice: gather evidence or research on the policy’s impact; includes think-tanks and research institutes;
• Serviceprovision: responsibility to monitor the effects of the programme in terms of quality, sustainability, effectiveness and real case examples;
•  Watchdog function: a priority role in monitoring effects of the policy, to ensure that the intended objectives are achieve.

6. Reformulation

The knowledge gained from assessing the policy implementation, coupled with evolving needs in society, often require a reformulation of policy. This must be based on access to information and opportunities for dialogue to identify needs and initiatives. This reformulation allows for the initiation of a new cycle of decision-making.

Contributions of NGOs:

• Advocating: lobby for renewal of policy by expressing limitations in or side-effects of the current policy, to meet the needs of users or citizens;
• Expertise and advice: conduct research and analysis to identify gaps in the current policy initiative and provide rationale for reformulation;
• Innovation: develop new approaches to tackle the relevant policy issue; this can be a key element in policy renewal;
• Serviceprovision: identify obstacles and gather evidence to illustrate evolving needs that require a reformulation of policy.

Capacity-building for participation

It is essential to develop the capacity and skills of local, regional and national NGOs so that they may be actively involved in policy formulation, project development and service provision. Capacity-building can also include training seminars to improve the understanding of the reciprocal roles of NGOs and public authorities in this engagement, as well as exchange programmes to facilitate the understanding of each other’s realities.

Structures for cooperation between NGOs and public authorities

In order to facilitate the relationship between public authorities and NGOs, a number of countries have developed coordinating bodies. These include: government bodies such as a contact person for civil society in each ministry or a central coordination body as a single interlocutor; joint structures such as multi-stakeholder committees, work groups, expert councils and other advisory bodies (permanent or ad-hoc); or NGO alliances/coalitions which pool resources and develop joint positions.

Framework documents on cooperation between NGOs and public authorities

In many European countries, framework agreements have been developed to outline undertakings, roles and responsibilities and procedures for cooperation. These documents lay out a clear basis for the relationship and thereby facilitate ongoing dialogue and mutual understanding between NGOs and public authorities. They include bilateral agreements with parliament or government, strategy documents for cooperation and official programmes for cooperation, adopted by public authorities.