Interim
Activity Report
(1150-REA-SCH-CZ)
Jiri
SCHNEIDER
International Policy Fellow 2005/6
Advocating
Effective Think-tanks and Transparent Lobbying
The first phase of the project (July-December 2005) aimed at
updating research on lobbying, identifying key sources of information
and contacting some players on European and domestic level and
international networking.
The main research objectives were
to analyze internal and external dynamism of relations between
policy-oriented think-tanks and public affairs institutions in
policy process.
I contacted Czech partners who
are interested in research of the role of lobbying and share
understanding of the importance of policy research in public arena. I
initiated contacts with University of Economics in Prague and Masaryk
University in Brno to discuss the idea of courses on lobbying within
existing programs of political science and European studies.
Research Trips:
In the initial phase of the
project I carefully planned two principal research trips:
1) to Brussels
about EU level of
decision-making and
2) in the U.S. about recent developments in the area of the lobbying
(disclosure legislation, etc.).
The main objective was to gather
necessary information about role of think-tanks and lobbying and
arrange interviews with their representatives and their observers. All
data will be utilized in the second phase of the project: in drafting a
syllabus and a policy paper on lobbying.
- Brussels, EU - November 15-18, 2005
I visited main
EU Institutions (Commission, Council,
Parliament), several think-tanks (The European Policy Center, New
Defense Agenda, Transparency International-Brussels, Center for
European Policy Studies, Open Society Institute-Brussels), and
representatives of principal associations of lobbyists (Society of
European Affairs Professionals-SEAP,
European Public Affairs Consultancies´ Association-EPACA). I conducted 10 substantive
interviews.
- Washington, D.C. - November 30
- December 7, 2005
I researched
Library of Congress and The Foundation
Center where I found the most relevant documents and data on lobbying.
I visited several think-tanks and granting institutions (Center for
Strategic International Studies, Brookings Institution, The German
Marshall Fund of the U.S., National Endowment for Democracy, The New
America Foundation) and also talked to those who follow low of finance
in policy process (The Center for Responsive Politics - opensecrets.org). I conducted
12 substantive interviews
Participation at
Seminars and
Conferences:
- conference organized by US Embassy in Prague on role of
think-tanks in policy making (Prague,
September 5-6, 2005) - I was approached to assist in planning
and presented key paper on "Role of think-tanks in policy analysis".
- public debate on lobbying organized by Agora Association and
Lidove Noviny daily (October 19, 2005)
- lecture at Masaryk University in Brno on "Role of think-tanks in
policy making" and presenting overview of previous research (IPF 2002)
on think-tanks in Visegrad countries (October
27, 2005)
- parliamentary seminar "Crisis of Trust in Politics" (November 9, 2005) organized by
Transparency International and Frisrich Ebert Stiftung under
auspices of the Speaker of the Lower House of the Czech Parliament
Conclusion:
The activities in the
first phase of the project have been
conducive to collection of all relevant data and bibliography for
academic syllabus. The gist of the upcoming policy paper will be in
exploring possible ways how to bring more transparency in policy
advice. Both advantages and disadvantages of legal regulation (adopting
legislation - e.g. Slovakia) or establishing informal rules (codes of
conduct - e.g. EU) will be thoroughly analyzed there.
Jiri
Schneider, Prague,
January 20, 2006
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