It is also critical for the advocate to understand “where power lies and the interrelationships between government and nongovernment actors.”1 Although the level of engagement of NGOs in decisionmaking in the region is well below what we might consider to be the target of a strong governance model, as time passes, there is an increasing recognition of the value of including NGOs in such decisionmaking. Advice from NGOs to government can range from formal commissions of think tanks and academics, to participation and consultation through working groups and formal hearings, to more ad hoc interactions commonly through lobbying, conferences, and publications.
In addition, the lines between government and NGOs blurring as the “revolving door” syndrome2 becomes more evident, a situation where NGO figures take up government roles for the duration of an administration and return to their former NGO posts when they are voted out. The Slovak think tank director mentioned earlier is the perfect example. Much more broad-scale involvement of former NGO activists in government has also occurred for instance, in Georgia and Bulgaria in the last decade.
Two of our cases illustrate long-term and developing partnerships between NGOs and government agencies and the importance of these connections in advocacy efforts:
Case 3: Macedonia
Introducing and passing a Patients’ Bill of Rights (2006–2008)
Policy fellow and think tank (Studiorum)
Studiorum began cooperating with the Ministry of Health in Macedonia on how to safely use contaminated land before this project began. They were then invited to be the NGO representative on the working group for the Patients’ Bill of Rights and were prominent during all stages of the bill’s drafting and passage through the executive and parliamentary stages. The ministry then continued the cooperation with Studiorum on the publicity campaign or social marketing around the Patients’ Bill of Rights following its adoption. Upon the suggestion of Studiorum, the ministry also has formed working groups to look into introducing public-private partnership modalities into the health sector, including dialysis treatment, eye surgery, and health technologies.
Case 4: Mongolia
Preventing the signing of an ill-considered mining contract between Mongolian government and international mining consortium (2006–2007)
National and international NGO Coalition
(Open Society Forum, Mongolia and Revenue Watch Institute)
Open Society Forum has maintained a position as an independent player in Mongolia and this means that it has made many friends in various political parties. They had little or no access to the Ministry of Finance during the early stages of the negotiation of this agreement. But once it was submitted to Parliament, which at the time was made up of a broad range of representatives from different political parties, they were able to get access to the draft agreement and lobby their parliamentarians to wait and take heed of their analysis. These connections or networks proved very valuable in this advocacy effort.
Hence, looking at the ties between decisionmakers or government bodies and the NGO sector is also important. Many NGOs, think tanks, and organizations compete with each other to be the recognized voice or the “go to” organization on certain issues or representing certain constituencies. There may be more than one organization in such a network or they may actually comprise a more formal coalition or an umbrella organization. Nevertheless, having this access and reputation is a primary goal for many NGOs and understanding the role these connections and networks play in decisionmaking is important.
Evaluate the connections between decisionmakers and NGOs.
Associations representing large or powerful constituencies can also be very influential in such decision-making processes. For example, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, associations that represent the interests of war veterans are very powerful and it is difficult for any government to be seen to question the broad range of benefits they have been given. Obviously, business associations and the private sector can also be of significant importance in certain issues, for the economic impact of policy change is always a major consideration, and business interests are often very close to particular political parties and movements.