The Issue
The World Bank
and European Bank for Reconstruction
and
Development are international
institutions that play an important role in global economic governance. They recognize the indispensability of civic
engagement for successful implementation of structural reforms carried
out with
their financial and consultative support [1]. My research concerns ways
in which that
recognition can be optimized in practice.
In the case of Russia, both formal and informal
policies of the WB
and EBRD seek to make civic-engagement principles of public
participation open
and clear, which, in turn, should contribute to wide public awareness,
understanding and support of economic development and reforms, as well as useful feedback to policy-makers.
Research
The
study of
the civic engagement policies of
the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
along with those of the Russian federal Government,
is
of great
importance for the successful implementation of future reforms to be
carried out
with the
financial and consultative support of these powerful international
financial
organizations. This is
especially true given
that reforms and projects of the last 10 years in Russia and now in
their second decade, with the World Bank and EBRD support have had a
considerable
and
complex influence on the economic and social situation in Russia.
Recongnition of local communities and social groups as
stakeholders (i.e. the importance of taking into
consideration their opinions and encouraging public participation) is a
key
component of the development and implementation of any reform or
large-scale
project. Only by guarateeing the rights of public participation and
access
to information will citizens be able to meaningfully play a meaningful
role in project development,
to freely express their
opinion and therefore to understand the essence of
reforms, which will translate into support
and,
ultimately, the success of reform process in Russia.
Fellowship Aims and
Objectives, May 2005 - April 2006
The project is aimed to contribute
towards a more successful mplementation
of civic engagement policies of the WB and EBRD from the point of view
of
democratic participatory approaches of their development, openness and
accountability of state and inter-state institutions, active
citizenship,
public participation and inclusion of various (including marginalized)
segments of the population in planning, decision-making, and monitoring
implementation by the Government.advance
and make more effective formal and informal
elements of the
civic engagement policies of the WB and EBRD in Russia.
The project's objectives are to scrutinize the Russian
government’s policy
documents and practice related to civic engagement, compare the civic
engagement policies of the World Bank (WB) and European Bank for
Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD), and refine the criteria for the successful
implementation of WB
and EBRD civic engagement policies with
a view toward broader inclusion of civil society organizations and
their
beneficiaries in decision-making processes.
To present project
findings and recommendations to the key target groups.
To write a 20-page research paper with conclusions on the
best practices and refine recommendations regarding successful
strategies for
the development and implementation of civic engagement policies of the
WB
and EBRD, together
with the Government of the Russian Federation.
To carry out a more
comprehensive research for the candidate of sciences thesis at MGIMO.
Research Problems
- Principles
of
development
and implementation of civic engagement policies of the WB and EBRD in
Russia
and
criteria of their effectiveness;
- Influence of
public
participation on the WB and EBRD projects and programs in Russia
and their successful
implementation
- Link
between the civic
engagement policies of the WB and EBRD and that of Russian federal
Government
and Russia’s
regions
.
Organizations
that may serve as partners
The following Russian
organizations will be partners, as well as end users of the project
outcomes:
- Russian federal Ministry for
Economic Development and Trade and Ministry of Finance
- Russian regional executive
authorities: those who were interviewed and some of those that are
partners of Center "Strategy" in over 50 Russia's regions
- Council on Civil Society
Development and Human Rights by the President of the Russian Federation
- Moscow State Institute
(University) of International Relations
- Russian civil society
organizations, mainly those working in the sphere of advocacy and
public participation
The following OSI network programs and organizations,
working in the field of governance in Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus
could serve as partners:
- Institute of Social and
Gender Policy (ISGP), a former Network Women’s Program of
OSI-Russia (Moscow)
- Local Government and Public
Service Reform Initiative (Budapest,
Hungary)
- Central European
University, Department of
Political Science (Budapest, Hungary)
- Policy Centers for Open
Society (PASOS) Network
Expected Benefits for the Potential Partners
- A menu of formal an dinformal
elements of civic engagement practices that work best for Russia;
- Criteria of successful civic
engagement policies in Russia;
- Analysis of civic engagement
policies and practice of the WB and EBRD and their interlink with that
of the Russian Federal Government;
- Analysis of various
stakeholders (public officials, CSOs, municipal deputies, etc.)
opinions on effectice civic engagement practices in Russia;
- Analysis of best cases of
impact of civil society on governmental bodies;
- Recommendations for
Russian authorties and international institutions on successful
strategies for
the development and implementation of civic engagement policies
Project
Deliverables
- An Issue Brief
- A Research paper;
- A
20-page
policy paper destined for the project target groups - decision-makers
at the WB, EBRD and Russian Federal Ministries;
- A special
publication,
containing recommendations on how best to achieve for civic engagement
in the
process of policy reforms and social and economic development programs;
- Presentation of the research
outcome to the target group.