Why Multi-stakeholder Groups Succeed and Fail
Anti-corruption initiatives increasingly use multi-stakeholder groups, comprised of representatives from government, private sector, and civil society organizations, to drive implementation at the local level and serve as a force for transparency....
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101206154144 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3977 |
| Summary: | Anti-corruption initiatives increasingly
use multi-stakeholder groups, comprised of representatives
from government, private sector, and civil society
organizations, to drive implementation at the local level
and serve as a force for transparency. In theory, the
multi-stakeholder groups ideal is quite appealing -- each
stakeholder has its own interest in the initiative and
contributes its unique capacities. In practice, many
multi-stakeholder groups have fallen short of expectations.
This paper considers two separate but related questions.
First, what are the unique barriers to implementation facing
multi-stakeholder groups? Second, what policy measures can
be taken to improve the likelihood that multi-stakeholder
groups will succeed? The authors use existing research in
political science and economics to develop a multi-level
framework that accounts for the "nested nature" of
multi-stakeholder groups. The framework is then applied to
experiences of MSGs from the Construction Sector
Transparency Initiative, a new pilot program that aims to
promote transparency in construction through the release of
material project information. The evidence shows that the
barriers facing multi-stakeholder groups are substantial,
but once the level (individual incentives, organizational
dynamics, country context, or international pressures) of
the challenge confronting a multi-stakeholder group is
identified, the specific barrier, its root causes, and
appropriate solutions can be identified. More broadly, the
Construction Sector Transparency Initiative experiences
suggest that multi-stakeholder groups are best used as a
means of promoting dialogue and building consensus, not as
the locus of policy implementation and oversight. |
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