Download Communication in Governance PREM Core Course

Communication in Governance PREM Core Course
Public Sector Governance
April 2007
Paul Mitchell
Development Communication Division
The World Bank
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Communication in Governance
Several Approaches:
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Political risks around the governance
issue in country
Communication component in
governance projects
Public Sphere
Communication as a sector in
governance
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Defining Political Risk
“…effective political risk analysis is not just a
question of evaluating a country risk. Instead, risk
assessment must identify the implications of social,
political and economic conditions of each
particular development intervention.
The key to analyzing the political risks facing a
project is to identify the winners and losers and
assess their relative ability to help or hinder a
project, whether directly or by influencing others.”
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Political risk is highly contextual
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Issue
Time
Place
Who is involved
External environment
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Dimensions of political risk
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Who is involved?
What influence can they exert?
Will they use it and to what
degree?
What impact will it have?
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Political risk is DYNAMIC
Unlike other analysis – financial,
social, environmental
Political risk analysis can change
very quickly
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Project Cycle
Project Cycle Phase
PRSP
Identification
Preparation
Appraisal
Approval
Implementation
Evaluation
&
CAS
DevComm Program Phase
Research
Analysis
Strategy and
Communication
Component Design
Communication
Program
Implementation
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
• Project Document Inputs
• Capacity building
• Communication Program
Implementation Plan
• Technical
Assistance
Communication
Program
Performance
and Impact
Evaluation
Interventions and Products
Country
Portfolio
Review
Client
Survey
• Communication
Based Assessment
• Socio Political Risk
Assessment
• Consultation
schemes
• Public Opinion
Research
• Advice
• Supervision
KNOWLEDGE
PRODUCTS
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Communications Based
Assessment
Usually shows one or all of three
issues needs to be changed:
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Design of project
Process
Communication
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Public Sphere
Entry point for discussion about
governance in a country:
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Mediates between society and the state.
Ability of state to address and listen to
citizens; citizens to form interest groups;
free media;
Embedded in an environment that gives
actors rights, duties and opportunities.
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Power of Media in Development
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Local media, particularly radio, carry information &
encourage commerce in geographically isolated markets
Growing global media can move currency markets and
international trade
Can provide info on political markets, exposing corrupt and
unethical politicians and giving people platform to voice
diverse opinions on governance and reform
Can inform poor and marginalized people, giving them a
voice
With higher literacy rates, lower printing costs, and
new broadcast technologies, media can reach
even further
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Role of Media: Improving Governance
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The media acts as the disseminator of information
about government - expenditures, laws, right and
obligations of citizens etc.and can also make
transparent the information that government sends or
puts out. It also acts as watchdog on government
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It plays the important role of providing information to
enable informed audiences who can then participate in
development policy discussions (National Plans, CAS)
- it carries that information both about process and
content
The media is useful in building trust in institutions (like
the WB) and faith in the product (development)
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External Affairs Vice Presidency
Fighting Corruption: Another Look
Anti-corruption:
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Rely on legal and financial institutions –judiciary, police, financial
auditors–to enforce and enhance accountability in the public sector.
However, in many poor countries, these institutions are weak and
among the most corrupt
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A complementary approach takes the users of public services
as a starting point. Rather than attempting to increase service
providers’ accountability to policymakers alone, the idea is to also
engage citizens at the bottom of the public service delivery chain by
providing them with easy access to information on the workings of
public programs intended for their benefit
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In this way, citizens will be empowered to demand certain
standards and monitor and challenge abuses by officials they
interact with in their daily lives
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Improving public access to information is a crucial part in this
bottom-up strategy
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Empowered Communication
Environment
Communication as sector:
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Reform government communication
Parliamentary communication
Decentralized communication
Improve functioning of private media
The legal environment for
communication
How do people receive information
External Affairs Vice Presidency
Empowered Communication
Environment cont’d
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How do people receive information
Civil society
Academia
Social media and the citizen
journalist
New technology