43
Collaboration Between Think Tanks and Government in the Development of Public Policy
of government who are also present at the legislative debate. Forming
a relationship with key government officials has created a means for a
constant flow of ideas and greater spaces for dialogue before and during
the policy design process. This open dialogue means a more successful
approach to the process.
Another important aspect for LyD is the work conducted in
collaboration with other think tanks – from independent organizations,
to political party think tanks to universities. For example, in 2008,
LyD worked with more than 10 other think tanks, aided with funding
from the Inter-American Development Bank, to develop a joint
proposal for state modernization with broad consensus. In seeking to
develop a state modernization plan of the size and magnitude required
in Chile, the government recognized that extensive collaboration
between government and think tanks would be required. The wide
array of institutions contributing ideas and proposals allowed for the
development of an all-encompassing proposal that transcended the
administration currently in office.
During the first 20 years of LyD’s existence, Chile had governments
with political ideologies that were mostly contrary to those espoused by
LyD. While the relationship with government was not always one of
collaboration, it was always one of positive interaction. Thus, although
LyD and the government did not always agree on policy, LyD was
nevertheless able to build relationships and spaces for honest discussion
with government representatives and policy experts. While it was clear
that on many occasions no consensus would be reached, the discussions
were always open and based on technical analysis, which allowed both
sides to enrich their perspective regarding the debate.
Although the debate did not always produce agreement, those familiar
with the policy process understand that policy proposals can take
decades to come to fruition. For example, at the beginning of the
1990s, Chile had an average of 15 percent duty on imports. LyD
proposed lowering this rate to six percent. The idea slowly spread to
various sectors and policymakers. Several election cycles produced
