Better Governance for Public Benefit Building a Government – Civil Society Partnership at the Local Level: Lessons from Experience Paper Presented to the GINI Conference in Pakistan: December 13 – 15, 2009 Kathleen Lauder

2 About the IOG Non-profit think tank In existence since 1990 Provides an independent source of knowledge, research and advice on governance issues, both in Canada and internationally Worked in over 37 countries with focus on Asia Maintained an office in Malaysia, serving south and SE Asia from – organized conferences, conducted research and published on ‘partnership’

3 Presentation Outline Governance definition, actors, relationships and principles Why partnership matters for local governance Push and pull factors in developing local partnerships Practical examples of partnership at the local level Lessons from experience in building a government civil society partnership at the local level In praise of networks!

4 Governance: What is It? The process whereby societies or organizations make their important decisions, determine who has voice, who is engaged in the process and how account is rendered The Institute On Governance, Ottawa Canada

5 Governance Relationships: Values CivilSociety PrivateSector Government media Traditions History Cultures Citizens Citizens Citizens Citizens The Institute On Governance

6 Governance Actors: Government (National & Local) Civil Society Business Executive Judiciary Legislature Public service Military Police Small, medium & large enterprises Trade & investment associations & coops Chambers of commerce MNCs NGOs, CBOs, PVOs Academic & research institutions Religious groups Civic organizations Media The Institute On Governance

7 Factors Pushing for Partnership Revised national policies New political regimes State of the economy Traditions or moral values (self-help, promoting a caring society) Pressing issues which can not be solved without partnership Compelling leadership

8 Factors Inhibiting Partnership Lack of trust Desire for power and control/reluctance to share power Comfort and security of maintaining the status quo Lack of leadership

9 Five Governance Principles Direction: Strategic vision Performance: Responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency Accountability: Accountability and transparency Fairness: Equity, rule of law Legitimacy/voice: Participation, Consensus orientation

10 Partnershp for Direction: Participatory Budgeting For example, in Porto Alegre in Brazil first done in 1989: Sewer and water connections increased from 75% (1988) to 98% (1997) of households Number of schools quadrupled since 1986 Health and education budget increased from 13%(1985) to 40% (1996)

Equiv. US$ per student Intended grant Actual grant received by primary school (means) 1999 Source: Uganda Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys Public info campaign Partnership for Performance: Tracking Education Dollars in Uganda

12 Partnership for Fairness: Right to Information Right to information Act passed in India in 2005 promises to be a powerful tool to promote equal access to resources in India by legislating equal access to information. For example in Rajasthan: In three districts local officials apologized for committing fraud and publicly returned public funds after being confronted with evidence at a public hearing Information on public works expenditure was painted on a village wall leading to mobilization and protest by the people - public hearing exposed fraud and ghost works – a government investigation led to institutionalization of measures to improve transparency and accountabilty

13 Partnership for Accountability: Declaration of Assets CAR MODEL BENEFICIAL OWNER REGISTERED OWNER Nissan Patrol Edwin Abella BIR Reg'l Director, Quezon City Sulpicio S. Bulanon Jr Jordan Plains Subd., Quezon City (listed address of Abella in his SALs) Suzuki Grand Vitara Ditto Merrick Abella (son of Abella) 24 Xavierville, Loyola Heights, Quezon City Nissan Cefiro Ditto Elizabeth S. Buendia 152 Road 8,Quezon City BMW Lucien E. Sayuno BIR Reg'l Director, Makati City Limtra Dev. Corp. Zone 4, Dasmariñas, Cavite BMW Ditto Marie Rachel D. Mene ses c/o Metrocor and Holdings, G&F, Makati City Honda Accord Danilo A. Duncano BIR Reg'l Director, Quezon City Daniel Anthony P. Duncano Quezon City Mitsubishi L200 Corazon P. Pangcog Asst. Reg'l Director, Valenzuela City Alberto P. Pangcog (husband) B2 L23 Lagro Subd., Quezon City Honda CR-V Ditto Alberto P. Pangcog 9 Ricardo St., Carmel 1 Subd., Quezon City Regional Director in the Bureau of Internal Revenue forced to resign; currently facing corruption charges; other officials suspended, also facing charges This slide was taken from a presentation made by Sanjay Pradhan, VP, WBI at a conference in Frankfurt, October 2, 2009

14 Partnership for Legitimacy/Voice: Citizen Report Cards in Bangalore, India Source: Public Affairs Center, India n/a City council Electricity Water supply Telephones Public hospitals Police Land authority Public buses Transport authority Agencies Percent Satisfied

15 Lessons from Experience: Internal Dynamics within Partnership Assembling key players, change agents and champions Making voluntarism work Combining contributions from different stakeholders Developing a supporting operating style or ‘culture’

16 Lessons from Experience: Factors External to Partnership Relation of socio-political and cultural environment – innovative solution to power sharing and decision making Relation to past experience Creating a compelling vision and identifying pressing issues within that vision

17 Directions for Building Effective Government Civil Society Partnerships: Enhancing Networks Building local capacity Low cost Make the most of technology Share resources, approaches, tools, skills Provide moral support and encouragement

18 Examples of Networks to Promote Government Civil Society Partnership at the Local Level

19 Kathleen Lauder