Beirut – 20 April 2011 Citizens as partners: current issues and challenges Charles-Henri Montin Senior Regulatory Adviser Ministère de l’économie et des finances, Paris

2 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Contents The three forms of public –private communication Developing citizens’ participation: a step-by-step approach Regulatory consultation now standard practice (OECD) Why consult? Who to consult? When? Channels Lessons from experience

3 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Active Participation Providing information Obtaining information and public views Identifying conflict lines Verifying consistency and acceptance Engaging the public in the formulation One way process: INFORMATION or notification Government Citizens Two-way flow: CONSULTATION Government Citizens Partnership Forms of public-private communication 2 Topics - Policy-making - Rule-making

4 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Developing citizens’ participation (1) OECD Handbook recommendations Build a framework –Legal rights of access to information, legal status of consultation –Policies –Evaluation of activities and capactiies Plan and act strategically –Set realistic objectives supporting government policy at different levels –Define target groups (publics) to match objectives –Assess available resources to fund activities –Set up evaluation tools Choose and use the tools –Clear messages to disseminate on all types of channels –Interactive channels for consultation (process feedback) –Engaging citizens in agenda setting: consensus conference (DK), citizens’ juries (FR)

5 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Developing citizens’ participation (2) Harness the power of ICT –Web.2 and e-government open up new field of opportunities Put principles into practice –Commitment to citizen participation by raising awareness and providing support –Rights to be grounded in law or policy –Clear objectives and precise roles of parties, avoid false expectations –Time: early in the process, and give realistic deadlines fitting into political agenda –Objectivity of information provided, and easily accessible –Coordination accross government to manage knowledge, build networks –Accountability: clear timetable, feedback to citizens –Evaluation tools to be developped, data collected. Engage citizens in evaluating events

6 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Questions ?

7 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Public consultation in the regulatory process Notes: Data for 2005 and 2008 are presented for the 30 OECD member countries and the European Union. Source: OECD Regulatory Management Systems’ Indicators Survey 2005 and public consultation exist in all OECD countries with a growing trend to always consult the public for primary laws… …and subordinate regulations

8 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Why consult the public? LegitimacyCredibilityConfidenceAdded valueTransparencyAlienation and connectivityRegulatory literacyManaging conflictIncreased complianceSocial cohesion

9 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Who to consult? Subject/ Regulation Taxpayer Government department/ Regional, Local office Academic experts Charitable, not-for-profit organisation Organised interests (trade unions, employers’ associations) Private sector (companies, employers) Public sector workers (doctors, teachers) Service users / beneficiaries

10 Beirut, 20 April 2011 When to consult? Policy Cycle & Reform tools Policy Formulation Policy Delivery / Implementation Policy Review / Assessment Ex-Ante Evaluation / Impact Assessment Consultation Communication Ex-Post Evaluation Interim Evaluation

11 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Notes: Data for 2005 and 2008 are presented for the 30 OECD member countries and the European Union concerning consultation routinely used at central government level for primary laws Source: OECD Regulatory Management Systems’ Indicators Survey 2005 and Channels of public consultation

12 Beirut, 20 April 2011 Lessons of experience Why? Clarify the purpose of consultation at the outset of the process: A code of practice can help to enhance confidence in the consultation process Who? Consultation should be open & participation voluntary Be specific when selecting whom to consult be specific Identify the objectives and resources of stakeholders; their media use, location and pursued interests Revisit the stakeholder analysis throughout the public consultation process Be willing to talk. BUT: Be wary: Sometimes the “beneficiaries” can be the hardest group to deal with When? Set a clear framework and timescale for the consultation process Align purposes with tools of public consultation in different stages of the policy cycle How? Use a flexible approach that combines a range of consultation tools: Reach out to the stakeholders Respond to comments receive and use the input: Establish mechanism ensuring that public comments are adequately taken into account Develop new approaches to better use ICT

13 Beirut, 20 April 2011 More on the topic « Engaging citizens in policy-making » (OECD, 2001): “Evaluating Public Participation in Policy Making :” 1_1,00.html 1_1,00.html “Citizens as partners” Handbook (2003) European Commission guidelines on consultation and dialogue (2002): « Public policy and public participation »: aspc.gc.ca/canada/regions/atlantic/pdf/pub_policy_partic_e.pdfhttp:// aspc.gc.ca/canada/regions/atlantic/pdf/pub_policy_partic_e.pdf « Civic participation in policy-making, a literature review: » (independent viewpoint ) « Public participation: »