42
Collaboration Between Think Tanks and Government in the Development of Public Policy
has understood the value of seeking and promoting collaboration
with government. LyD’s approach can be understood by examining
the three strategic pillars on which LyD was founded. The first pillar
is defending the principles of a free society. This is defined as the
promotion of individual freedom, and ensuring that the ultimate goal
of policy is to the benefit of the individual as regards democracy, the
market economy, rule of law and limited government. The second
pillar is building solid technical capacity and endowing individuals
with the knowledge and ability to identify problems and design
public policies that contribute to the development of the country.
This means pulling together a group of technical experts capable of
meeting different policy challenges with the speed and rigor required
by changing political agendas and shifting public debates. The third
pillar is developing close working relationships with the institutions
responsible for public policy formulation. This concept is based on
the recognition that in order to influence public policy, it is essential
to build direct relationships with nationally relevant institutions such
as the current government administration, the legislature, the judicial
branch, media, universities, and civil society organizations.
One of the characteristics of LyD that differentiates it from other think
tanks is the work done with the Chilean Congress. While independent
of political parties, LyD maintains a constant presence at congressional
discussions and provides assistance to all members of congress open
to defending the ideals that LyD stands for. This means providing
exhaustive reviews and analysis of policy proposals, as well as providing
assistance in the drafting of legislation and amendments. LyD also
provides constant capacity building and knowledge support to legislators
who share LyD’s guiding principles, enriching and strengthening the
debate to defend shared ideals. Of course many times the work done
in Congress is not successful, and one has to keep in mind that elected
representatives do not always follow the same agenda a think tank may
have.
Additionally, a permanent presence in Congress has created
opportunities for closer collaboration with those in the executive branch
