OSI Continuing International Policy Fellowship 2005 - Project Proposal

 
Advocating effective think-tanks and transparent lobbying.

Summary:

Main Objectives of the Project are

• to increase academic and public interest in role of think-tanks and lobbying in policy process in the Czech Republic and Central and Eastern Europe
• to create an alliance of watchdog programs advocating increased transparency in mediation of interests through setting legal rules or informal codes in lobbying
• to build a strategic partnership with important donors to guide corporate philanthropy into policy-related research 

Scope of the Project is focused primarily at

• the Czech Republic
• Central and Eastern Europe (new members and candidates of the EU)
• experience and existing models in the U.S. and the EU (benchmark) 
  

Point of departure:
 
In 2002, as a International Policy Fellow, I did a research on Think-tanks in Visegrad Countries. In a key conclusion of IPF 2002 Final Research Paper I stressed that "think-tanks - as intermediary structures, platforms, forums, reservoirs - can significantly contribute to the quality and transparency of policy-making process, to the cultivation of political culture and after all, to the growing trust in an open democratic procedures."

 One of the aims of my IPF 2002 was not fulfilled: "The original objective of the project - to establish a private think tank - appeared too ambitious and beyond reach of one-year individual project. This would be rather long-term task for team." Now, I explore possible ways how to achieve it.

Implementation of Policy Recommendations: 

One of the key recommendations concerned creating grant-making foundation relying primarily on domestic donations and contributions. As a part of efforts to mobilize domestic fund-raising I suggested that "interest groups in Central Europe in promoting their interests use rather services of lobbyist-firms in Brussels instead of supporting local think-tanks" (Final Research Paper).

Several steps are needed to achieve this goal:

1. Interest groups would be recommended "to invest" in think-tanks rather than to hire lobbyists. There are two ways of doing it:
1. With a help of various watchdog initiatives to insist on better transparency and accountability of lobbying activities through creation of internal rules and external regulations
2. To increase marketing capabilities of think-tanks to sell their policy expertise and in order to attract an investment into highly flexible and educated human resources usable both in private and public sector.
2. Independent grant-making foundation for think-tanks and other policy related institutions should be established. ("Financing of think-tank is a risky investment like that of new technological start-ups. Not individual investors, but only foundations with diversified portfolio of donors can bear such risk" Final Research Paper) 

Main Activities:

• Study trips to Washinton (U.S. Congress, JHU Philantropy Program, various think-tanks), Brussels (EU Commission, foundations, think-tanks), Budapest, Bratislava (dtto)
  
• Drafting syllabus on "Think-tanks and lobbying in European policy making" (in cooperation with Masaryk University, Brno)
• Exploring ways of popularizing transparent and knowledge-based public policy process (e.g. educational series in media, other media activities, web presentation or discussion groups)
• Networking event - Conference of Central European public policy think-tanks aimedat addressing corporate donors and sharingof specificexperience concerninglegal status and framework, fund-raising methods, management of think-tanks as related to NGOs in general (possibly with supportof the local donor);
• Create a portfolio of donors to establish a public foundation that would be oriented towards policy advice

Jiri Schneider, Prague, July 2005

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