Work & Advocacy Plan

I Preparatory Activities (May-June)

 

(1)     Literature review  of corruption in the region and elsewhere, concentrating on uncontrolled political power as the  cause of corruption; 

 

(2)     Consultations about  the initial hypothesis, the main issues and the indicators  of state capture with about 20 people who are experts, professors, NGO’s activists,  former- government functionaries, media and party leaders.  Experts in the area of the research will recommend the essential reading, necessary laws to consult, possible legal changes, and assistance for my policy study.

 

(3)     Developing the position (policy) by formulating my understanding and importance of the policy    issue and how to act upon. I will clarify my views by preparing my issue paper, due to June 30, 2006.

 

II Research Activities (June, July, August, September)

 

Data collection:

 

·         Data collection will start in the City of Novi Sad, as a case study of a state capture at the local level. I will identify my collaborators among journalists and members of the City Assembly, as the source of information about the structure of the local parliament and authority by party affiliation, and about the division of public companies and institutions among the ruling parties for the last two election periods: 2000 when the coalition of democratic parties held the authority in the city and 2004 (the last local elections) when elections were won by the nationalistic Serbian Radical Party.

·         Research on National Government functionary appointments in public enterprises, funds and agencies; investigation of their function-accumulation and concentration of power. Among sources of information will be the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia.

·         Research of 250 MPs of the National Parliament for accumulation of functions, by number, content, and party;

·         Investigation of how parties’ cadres are distributed in the governmental ministries and institutions in the same activity  area, on horizontal and vertical  levels;  as case studies, two ministries will be investigated: the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Sport;

·         Survey of public opinion on corruption, criteria about appointments for state positions, attitudes on accumulation of functions, and confidence in the institutions. The survey will be carried out with the assistance of Strategic Marketing, the best known public opinion survey firm: I will formulate 10-15 questions fulfilling the needs of my survey. The Agency will include my questions in a regular public opinion survey;

 

Creation of connections and alliances with:

 

·         Transparency Serbia (NGO)

·         Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (NGO)

·         CESID,  an NGO for Free and Democratic Elections, holds conferences on party financing 

·         Strategic Marketing – Research Agency

·         Cooperation with the Anticorruption Council of the Government of Serbia and participation in the conference  - “Anti-corruption Days”, June, 2006

·         Cooperation with the Committee of the Democratic Party for Public Services which will organize debates debate  about policy issues as a preparation for the next elections;

·         Cooperation with NALED'S  Working Group Forum on Business-Government ( I became a member of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development, founded by USAID)

·         Media such as the daily newspaper in Novi Sad “Dnevnik”, the daily newspaper “Danas”, the weekly magazine “Vreme” and the monthly journal “Republika” .

 

  III. Writing Policy Paper    

      

(1)     First draft policy paper (October)

(2)     Working on the second draft paper (November)

(3)     Submitting second draft (December-January)

(4)     Final policy Paper  (February, 2007)

 

 

Advocacy Plan:

 

(1)     Networking: to make contacts, create alliances, supporters and partners by

Developing cooperation with NGOs, media, governmental and party bodies, and other agents that can make my advocacy process more effective and visible;

(2)     Lobbying addressed to party and government leaders (of executive branches and wider regulatory  institutions), MP’s, local mayors and NGOs dealing with local communities, with the goal to influencing policy and legislation  changes by organizing conferences, public debates, and by publishing articles in newspapers and speaking in electronic media on how to build accountable, transparent and corruption free government, public offices, enterprises and services, and to promote interests of the  citizens, by advocating de-accumulation of functions (“One Functionary One Function”), political independence, professionalism, competitiveness,  and neutrality of the officials in the public sector;

(3)     Publishing and distribution of policy paper to the public, experts, NGOs, media, and top decision-makers by presenting results of the research and recommendations of the paper.