BRIEFING NOTE
LEARNING JOURNEY
Political parties and public policymaking processes:
The role of multistakeholder dialogue
Contents
I. Initial frame for reflection (p.2)
II. Introductory perceptions on dialogue and public policies (p.3)
III. Inaugural conference (p.4)
IV. Country cases (p.7)
V. Challenges and potential of multistakeholder dialogue in public
policymaking (p.12)
VI. Final conference (p.15)
This note was prepared by Scarleth Gomar and Anaí Linares. It is also
available in Spanish. February 2008.
, BRIEFING NOTE
Political parties and public policymaking processes:
The role of multistakeholder dialogue
This note gathers the main reflections deriving from the Learning Journey on public
policymaking and the role of multistakeholder dialogue in this arena, jointly organized by the
United Nations Development Program and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty
Democracy. This Journey was carried out in Antigua Guatemala in November 2007, and the
group of 30 participants included political leaders, researchers, analysts, academics, former
government officials and donors with relevant experience, interest and knowledge on
political parties and policymaking. Some important experiences in Latin America were
explored, and inputs on the interaction between the party system and the public
policymaking system were generated. This note intends to share these inputs with the
actors of the political system and the practitioners of dialogue and other like-minded tools,
in the hopes that improvements introduced in the public policymaking process are
sustainable and have an impact on development and on the life of people.
I. Initial frame for reflection
In activities carried out in preparedness for the Journey, participants shared the following
reference points for the reflection work:
• Dialogue processes may be categorized as one of the democratic tools that favor
transparency, public participation and inclusion, and should be seen as tools that
complement and strengthen democratic institutions without replacing them. Dialogue
processes have shown their value in building channels for communications and conflict
transformation, which are necessary for the survival of democratic systems.
• There are various policymaking models. The technical model intends to convince public
policy makers based on the analysis of correct measures. The political influence model
seeks to co-opt actors to participate in some commonplace measures. The social movement
model tries to convert other actors to a vision around which the movement is organized. The
collaborative model seeks the joint evolution of stakeholders towards an understanding, a
direction, and a set of common rules.
• After accumulating experience in public policymaking and implementation for several years
in Latin America, the following questions pose a challenge for the region: Why are some
public policies successful and others not? Under what conditions? Why do some reforms
persist while others fail in similar contexts? What allows a country to adjust its policies to
tackle with change or address former failures? What determines the capacity of the countries
to design, approve and implement effective public policies or sustain them in time?
• Dialogue, as a democratic tool that favors transparency, inquiry and reflection, as well as
public participation and inclusion that strengthen democratic institutions, may play a decisive
Briefing note page 2
LEARNING JOURNEY
Political parties and public policymaking processes:
The role of multistakeholder dialogue
Contents
I. Initial frame for reflection (p.2)
II. Introductory perceptions on dialogue and public policies (p.3)
III. Inaugural conference (p.4)
IV. Country cases (p.7)
V. Challenges and potential of multistakeholder dialogue in public
policymaking (p.12)
VI. Final conference (p.15)
This note was prepared by Scarleth Gomar and Anaí Linares. It is also
available in Spanish. February 2008.
, BRIEFING NOTE
Political parties and public policymaking processes:
The role of multistakeholder dialogue
This note gathers the main reflections deriving from the Learning Journey on public
policymaking and the role of multistakeholder dialogue in this arena, jointly organized by the
United Nations Development Program and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty
Democracy. This Journey was carried out in Antigua Guatemala in November 2007, and the
group of 30 participants included political leaders, researchers, analysts, academics, former
government officials and donors with relevant experience, interest and knowledge on
political parties and policymaking. Some important experiences in Latin America were
explored, and inputs on the interaction between the party system and the public
policymaking system were generated. This note intends to share these inputs with the
actors of the political system and the practitioners of dialogue and other like-minded tools,
in the hopes that improvements introduced in the public policymaking process are
sustainable and have an impact on development and on the life of people.
I. Initial frame for reflection
In activities carried out in preparedness for the Journey, participants shared the following
reference points for the reflection work:
• Dialogue processes may be categorized as one of the democratic tools that favor
transparency, public participation and inclusion, and should be seen as tools that
complement and strengthen democratic institutions without replacing them. Dialogue
processes have shown their value in building channels for communications and conflict
transformation, which are necessary for the survival of democratic systems.
• There are various policymaking models. The technical model intends to convince public
policy makers based on the analysis of correct measures. The political influence model
seeks to co-opt actors to participate in some commonplace measures. The social movement
model tries to convert other actors to a vision around which the movement is organized. The
collaborative model seeks the joint evolution of stakeholders towards an understanding, a
direction, and a set of common rules.
• After accumulating experience in public policymaking and implementation for several years
in Latin America, the following questions pose a challenge for the region: Why are some
public policies successful and others not? Under what conditions? Why do some reforms
persist while others fail in similar contexts? What allows a country to adjust its policies to
tackle with change or address former failures? What determines the capacity of the countries
to design, approve and implement effective public policies or sustain them in time?
• Dialogue, as a democratic tool that favors transparency, inquiry and reflection, as well as
public participation and inclusion that strengthen democratic institutions, may play a decisive
Briefing note page 2
