Project Description
Situation AnalysisThe theme of the project lies in the greatest variation in the way the partnerships occur throughout the countries involved in the project, in the case of horizontal
axis - the involvement of NGOs in the run up of the local affairs and local governance.
Nevertheless, in some countries (Romania, Croatia), the development of appropriate legal and fiscal environments for the functioning and participation of NGOs in local affairs and local governance has been rather advanced; still, problems occur in real life situations when there is still a wide gap particularly in between de facto and de jure involvement of civil society organizations (NGOs). Local governments are paying lips-service to the relationship with the NGOs; partnerships remain at the stage of ticked actions, sometimes required by external donors, sometimes giving the willingness of politicians to comply with requirements for further integration of the country in the International Organizations.
Partnerships are too much inclined to lean on the efficiency side, targeting outputs at the cots of outcomes that the whole community will benefit in a long terms perspective. Hence, once a joint project is completed, the relationship in between local governments and NGOs does not spur into a follow up. That has led indirectly o another downside that is the fragmentation of partnership. The mainstream of short-term project-based partnership through NGOs and local governments has resulted in too many one-off interventions of limited duration that often overlap and are uncoordinated. No local strategy has been created on the partnership in between NGOs and local governments that may fill in the gap of sometimes vague, non-explicit national legislation.
There has been feeble indigenous demand for the participation of NGOs in the local affairs and governance for various reasons, for instance, not enough trust into the 3rd sector from the governmental side, lack of cohesiveness amongst NGOs to speak with one voice.
As there have been critical historical junctures in all countries part of the project, the process of democratization is still in its infancy and needs to be deepened; moreover, there have been ongoing processes of decentralization, devolution and re-definition of territories triggering the dispersion of prime local identities, diffusion of power and resources down to the local communities. As a consequence, there has been a widening gap in between citizens and local governments being given the lack of identity, ownership and participation in the local governance. Thus, as citizens prove lack of interest in local affairs and governance, there is a high risk that democracy will be constrained to groups of citizens lacking legitimacy of a large majority leading implicitly to an increased democratic deficit and the emergence of autocracies.
Again, there are positive examples in the region that thanks to the inclusion of NGOs, as engine to gauge citizens’ interests, a redefinition on new societal identity at the local level helped the build up of institutional networks and social norms indispensable for the learning and adaptation process imposed by the geopolitics in the region, boosted by the catalyzing role of NGOs, increasingly viewed as a promising approach to improve participatory democracy and local governance performance.
Goal
The goal of the project is defined by a threefold dimensional approach:
Raising the awareness of local governments and citizens on the added value that NGOs bring in the local governance;Conducting in country field action in two intertwined directions complementing each other: community facilitation process and participatory based study;Organising an international conference to spur synergies across academia, government agencies, field practitioners, NGOs leaders, policy makers, and for exchange of best practice and networking
Core activities
Relevant documentation: during this stage, the regional NGOs in conjunction with the Faculties/Departments of Sociology selected for the project in each country are to make relevant documentation on national/local legislation that promotes (or not, if the case) participation of NGOs in local affairs and local governance. The data collected have to be compiled into a draft country report that is to be presented as a working document during the kick off meeting.
Enlarging the local partnership: the regional project coordinators are to undertake field trips/scheduled meetings with the mayors from the regions where the in the country field action is to be undertaken to secure Local Public Administration support in each stage of the project if need, and signing partnership for cooperation and participation in the project.
In country field action: the regional project coordinators in conjunction with the national experts are to conduct in country field action, mobilizing community NGOs representatives and collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, in the selected regions in all countries involved. The stage does not target only the good management of the project but indirectly, strengthening the culture of cooperation and trust in between local governments and NGOs.
The in country field action is comprised of actions developed in two intertwined directions complementing each other:
Community facilitation process which is meant to mobilize the entire local community around the issue of partnership in between local governments and NGOs, bringing representatives of all stakeholders’ groups. The process consists of door to door consultation (in order to understand the status quo of the partnership in between the local NGOs and the local government as it is viewed by the local and also to raise their awareness and interest for the public hearing), scenario wok-shops (to design action plans to strengthen the relationship in between the local NGOs and local governments) and public hearings (to give legitimacy and public back up to the local action plans meant to structure the partnership in between local governments and local NGOs; it is expected to win also consensus and tight commitment amongst all participants on defined roadmaps to follow)Participatory based study: along the way of the community facilitation implementation process, each team of the project seconded by the national expert is to collect date that entails a combination of the in-house techniques, like documentation, media monitoring, analyzing official documents, questionnaire dissemination, tabulation, with the data collected by means of the action at the grass roots levels, such as focus groups (with NGOs representatives, local government representatives, and locals), interviewing with local stakeholders. Apart from that, requests will be made as to get official documents (minutes from local council meetings, activity reports, strategic plans), when there is possible according to the law.
Communication campaign: The project coordinator and the regional project coordinators will be launching the press releases about the project via all local, national and Europe wide electronic newsletters and email-groups. Apart from that, press releases will be sent to all partners for translation and for publishing them in the local and regional media but also to the electronic specialized news letters across Europe. The regional project coordinators in cooperation with the national experts of the project will be part of a few local radio and TV broadcasts in their own regions. The entire campaign is meant to raise the awareness of the citizens in the regions targeted but also to sensitize the local regarding the added value of the active participation of NGOs in local affairs and governance. A press conference will open officially the project during the working meeting in Romania. At the end of the project, in order to increase the visibility of the results, another press conference will be organized during the Regional Conference. Therefore, apart from sending press releases, all partners are to organize 1 regional conference to launch the study Partnership-rhetoric or reality? in each of the participating countries; invitations to participate at the Regional conference in each country are to be sent to NGOs in the whole country, local governments, policy makers, country donors, MPs, and other relevant stakeholders.
International Conference- Social Modernization and the Global Development: it aims at organizing a 3 days conference to bring together representatives from academia, local governments, national high representatives, NGOs leaders, etc. The conference is open to participation from other EU countries as well. Moreover, a critical presence is to be of representatives on behalf of National Associations for Local Governments from all countries concerned. The conference will take place in the ceremony aula of the University of Craiova. Each national expert in conjunction with the regional/local project manager will introduce the regional study on NGOs participation in the local governance, “Partnership- rhetoric or reality?”.