Dimension: 6.1.2 Institutional capacity for public participation
In addition to a sound legal framework for public participation, it is necessary for parliament to develop the practical mechanisms and tools that allow this participation to take place.
The “mechanisms” of public participation refer to systems that, together, provide ways to organize, coordinate and channel public inputs so that they can be taken into account in all aspects of parliamentary processes.
The “tools” of public participation, meanwhile, are specific instruments – online and on-site – that support parliament in successfully operating these mechanisms. They need to be user-friendly and adapted to the needs of different groups within the community.
Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. is attentive to facilitating participation from all of society, including catering to groups that may face obstacles to engagement, such as women, youth, persons with disabilities, disadvantaged groups, and groups in remote areas or with limited digital access.
Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. can assess the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of these mechanisms and tools by monitoring public participation and tracking the impact of public input on the outputs of parliamentary work.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Strategic approach
Parliament has an agreed strategy or plan for the implementation and further development of public participation, as well as established policies and practices, with time-bound and measurable objectives.
No 2: Mechanisms
Parliament’s rules, practices and policies contain a comprehensive set of mechanisms for the organization, coordination and channelling of public participation. Public participation processes and activities are widely advertised. There are mechanisms by which the public can both receive, and provide feedback on, the outcome of their participation.
No 3: Tools
Parliament has easy-to-use tools to support public participation, both online and on-site. These tools take account of different groups within the community, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, disadvantaged groups, and groups in remote areas or with limited digital access.
No 4: Monitoring and evaluation
Parliament monitors and evaluates the use of its public participation mechanisms and tools and reports on their use on its website. Parliament adapts and changes its engagement mechanisms and tools in light of the results of this evaluation work.
No 5: Dedicated resources and staff
Parliament dedicates sufficient resources to public participation activities. Parliament has a dedicated organizational unit for this purpose, such as a public participation office, or has staff members with duties related to public participation.
How to complete this assessment
This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.
The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:
- Provisions in parliament’s rules, practices and policies describing the mechanisms of public participation
- Specific tools that help the public to participate
- Statistics and other information from the monitoring of public participation
- Changes to public participation mechanisms and tools over time
- Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. ’s organization chart and budget
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Sources and further reading
- David Beetham, Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. and democracy in the twenty-first century: A guide to good practice (2006).
- Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislators, revised edition (2018).
- National Democratic Institute (NDI), Toward the Development of International Standards for Democratic Legislatures (2007).
Get help with this assessment
The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.
Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.
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