88
The Role of Government in Institutionalizing Democratic Governance
Amid the conduct of its daily business, it is common for government
officials to find little time to design policies. This reality makes it vitally
important for government to enable the flow of information from
interested citizens and to ensure adequate mechanism for collaboration
with outside sources of expertise. In addition to keeping policies attuned
to the needs and demands of citizens, public-private collaboration can
heighten transparency and serve to build stakeholder consensus for
new initiatives. Outside perspectives can play a fundamental role in
innovation.
As noted by Bettina Horst in her chapter, “Collaboration Between
Think Tanks and Government in the Development of Public Policies,”
think tanks can play an important role in the field of policy innovation.
Dedicated to the study and analysis of a variety of issues, think tanks
have the ability to collect data and develop policy alternatives which
can be recommended to the larger citizenry as well as governmental
institutions. Government officials can then apply this information to
make informed and timely decisions. It is important to note, however,
as Horst does, that “although think tanks can be helpful in building
and strengthening governance, their existence alone is not enough to
do so.”
Civil society organizations (CSO) have burgeoned throughout the
region in the past decade. These entities can play a fundamental
role in the policy development process as well as in areas of policy
implementation. In addition, CSOs perform a potentially significant
oversight function. Through both advocacy and outreach, CSOs can
serve as a mechanism to streamline and magnify the articulation of
citizen needs and priorities, regardless of the geographic remoteness
of an interested community. This information can then be supplied
to government. Efforts such as these can ensure that the government
is aware of the demands and expectations of constituents, and thereby
help inform official decision-making processes.
While think tanks and CSOs can play an important and vital role in
informing and influencing the development of public policy, it should
