The Asia Pacific Governance and Democracy Initiative (AGDI)
2008 – 2010
Context
Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world. Despite its high rates of growth, many developing countries within the region are not making significant progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially those dealing with child mortality, maternal health, gender equality, the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and environmental sustainability. Weak governance has constrained the achievement of development objectives within the region, and, consequently, the inability of governments to sustain policies and programs.
Effective democratic governance continues to be one of the greatest challenges of the Asia Pacific region as countries cope with demands of the global economy and pressures from citizens for increased transparency and participation. The countries in the region are at different stages of democratic governance ranging from the relatively effective and democratic governance in Japan and the Republic of Korea to new and restored democracies such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Mongolia. However, all are interested in sharing experiences and good practices as they work to further strengthen democratic governance capacities.
Towards this end a Workshop on Democratic Local Governance in Asia: Reforms and Innovations in Local Democracy will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 13 – 14, 2011. The purpose of the workshop is to examine emerging trends, issues and innovations in local governance reform and change processes.
The breakup of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991 triggered a significant transformation of the geopoltics, economics and political entity of the Central Asian states (usually defined as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.) This region has historically been a commercial and cultural bridge between Europe and the countries of Asia Pacific. The natural resources of Central Asia are increasingly attracting countries of the Asia Pacific, such as China, South Korea, Japan and India. The uncertainties of the Central Asian states’ political transformation and continued rivalry for Central Asian resources challenge regional cooperation and institution-building.
A Roundtabl e on "Central Asia's Transformation: Geopolitics, Democracy and Security" took place on March 22, 2010 at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii to discuss emerging trends and issues in the central Asian region specifically related to democratization and security in the new geopolitics of the region.
Key Components
Effective democratic governance is central to the East-West Center's mission of promoting a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific region through the creation of Asia Pacific community. The multi-year Asia Pacific Governance and Democracy Initiative has and will concentrate on bolstering national and regional institutional and leadership capacities by focusing on the following five dimensions of democratic governance:
1. Civil Society Engagement in Democratic Change
Civil society organizations in the region play a vital role in promoting inclusive governance at the local, national and global levels by recognizing that improving the quality of the democratic governance process requires actions at multiple levels. At the local level, civil society organizations have particularly been active in mobilizing against privatizations based on their perception that privatizations do not serve the interests of the population at large, but only serve business interests. At the national level, civil society organizations in Asia perform watchdog functions to improve the quality of electoral and parliamentary process and responsiveness of parliamentarians to the interests of minorities, poor and marginalized groups. At the global level, civil society organizations perform advocacy functions for such global public goods as debt relief for the high debt and Least Developed Countries, climate change, implementation of the UN conventions and treaty bodies dealing with civil and political rights, transparency in global governance, and increased foreign assistance from the donor community.
This component of the Initiative examines the impact of civil society organizations on democratic change in the region. It reviews the emerging issues and good practices in the region, the modalities of the civil society's interface and engagement with the governments, and its capacity and accountability.
The Workshop on Civil Society Engagement in National and Global Governance examined emerging issues in the theory and practice of civil society engagement to promote and strengthen inclusive governance at national and global levels.
The workshop was held July 14-16, 2008.
* It was informed by a country specific analysis framework for civil society engagement that included the history and pattern of growth, legal framework under which they civil society organizations are established, their capacity to deliver on their mission, and their upward and downward accountability. Also important are the civil society organizations (CSOs)'s role in democratic change, and the stage of political development of the respective country;
* The workshop examined the above and other emerging issues in civil society engagement in national and global governance;
* Identified innovations and good practices ;
* Discussed country experiences including those in China, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan Pacific Islands, and the Philippines;
* Reviewed the role of civil society in global public goods including debt relief, human rights promotion, climate change and environmental sustainability and cross-border corruption;
It was sponsored by East-West Center, Harvard University's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, United Nations University and the Soka University of America.
2. Cross-border Governance for Regional Actions
Asia Pacific countries have also become more interdependent as a result of globalization. Information, ideas, culture, people, resources, capital, and crime all move across borders in larger numbers than ever before. As such, problems and challenges that face one nation often have a rippling effect throughout the region. Cross-border issues are those which cannot be resolved successfully by isolated policy action at the national or sub-national levels. The list of cross-border issues is long and growing, and includes cross-boundary water management, human trafficking, trade integration, illegal migration, and regional health risks. Each of these issues requires significant cross-border policy coordination between national governments, as well as good institutional systems in place to enable consultation with other stakeholders and collaboration between national and local governments.
This component of the Initiative examines four specific governance dimensions of the cross-border issues – review of institutions and structures, policies and policymaking, legal and equity frameworks, and the role of vital actors such as the civil society and media – in order to promote regional cooperation in responding to the issues.
The Cross-Border Governance in the Asia-Pacific Region Project (2008-2011) aims to enhance cross-border governance within the Asia Pacific region by strengthening regional capacities to formulate and enforce appropriate regulatory policies, develop legal frameworks, clarify the roles of national and regional institutions, and protect the rights of marginalized groups through civil society and media watch-dog roles. It will focus on four critical cross-border issues: regulation of the movement of people across borders with focus on migrants, more effective and efficient use of trans-boundary water resources, trade integration for human development and combating human trafficking to protect human rights. The outputs during the Initiation Phase are regional reviews of cross-border governance issues, a program design/stakeholders meeting, a full project document and a publication on the state of the art of cross-border governance in Asia and the Pacific.
3. Electoral and Parliamentary Processes to Sustain Democracy
The third component of the Initiative aims to promote an inclusive electoral and parliamentary process in three Asian countries to confer political legitimacy, promote representation and oversight, and provide mechanisms for participation and accountability. Its focus is on the participation of women, minorities, and marginalized groups in democratic processes by strengthening national and local capacities to engage in ensuring free and fair elections and accountability of parliaments and legislatures to the constituents. Specifically, it will promote voter registration, electoral monitoring, and dialogue with parliamentarians. It will also support community based organizations, gender sensitive budgeting, use of media to promote inclusion, training of women local leaders, information-sharing and awareness raising.
4. Transparency and Anti-corruption Strategies to Promote Trust in Government
Transparency in governance and combating corruption are major challenges facing many Asian countries today. In order for citizens to have confidence and trust in government, civil servants and elected officials must conduct themselves according to the highest standards of public accountability and behavior. Adherence to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), in addition to the implementation of national legislative and administrative measures is critical. Also needed are strengthening the transparency of policy processes, improving enforcement mechanism, increasing public awareness and strengthening anti-corruption institutions. Recognizing the above, many countries in the region have launched new and highly innovative transparency and anti-corruption initiatives. This fourth component will examine the impact of these advances.
See the Workshop on Promoting Trust in Government Through Innovations in Governance in Asia and the Pacific , held 28-30 January 2008 at the East-West Center.
5. Civil Service Reform and Resource Management to Foster Economic Development
The capacity of governments at multi-levels to design and implement development programs that effectively manage human, physical, technological and financial resources is essential to meeting the rapidly increasing expectations of citizens. In the context of the economic transitions that Asia Pacific countries are experiencing, a premium rests on strengthening and restructuring institutions to govern and support market forces and capital accumulation. For example, adequate competencies at local, regional and national levels for both raising revenues and making balanced decisions on spending these revenues must be assured by increasing the accountability for results of the civil service.
This component examines innovations in civil service reform and resource management, leadership in the public sector, and their impact on delivery and access of services to citizens.
Governments in the region are employing incentive-based strategies which reward or provide positive recognition to public sector employees who successfully introduce innovations that improve public services and contribute to capital accumulation (e.g., in the education sector). The countries are also stressing the importance of leadership for instilling public sector ethics, ensuring full participation of women in the public sector, reinforcing shared values, and motivating staff to produce positive change and results for their organizations and society. Much of what does or does not transpire over the next decade in the Asia Pacific region will hinge on the issues identified above.
A key concern in this context is that political decision-making within a democratic structure tends to be inherently short-sighted, as the pursuit of electoral office and the immediate demands of constituents are of central concern to elected officials and bureaucrats (“short-termism”). But policies designed to meet these short-term needs can often fail to address, or even actively work against, the needs of future generations.
The forthcoming project “Sustainability and Policy-making: Reconciling Short-term and Long-Term Needs in Democratic Governance” will examine factors that influence the formation of sustainable or unsustainable policies in the public and private sectors.
A major component of the project will be a workshop to be held from June 30 - July 1, 2010.
The workshop discussions and knowledge products will be framed by case studies examining the following:
*How do internal and external factors involved in the policy-making process influence sustainable outcomes - including time pressures, conflicting values, imprecise or contested data, and structural complexities?
*What can induce governments to look beyond their short-term re-election agenda, and be able to address issues that require long-term vision (such as health, climate change, renewable energy, oil shortage, population growth, and food security)?
*What are the optimal structures within the government to ensure the formulation of sustainable policies?
*What can the public and private sectors learn from each other?
It will be sponsored by the United Nations University’s Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) and the East-West Center (EWC).
Modalities and Partnerships
The Asia-Pacific Governance and Democracy Initiative
- undertakes policy relevant research on the foregoing aspects of democratic governance practice,
- organizes capacity development and leadership workshops and senior level dialogues among scholars and policymakers,
- documents and analyze emerging regional trends, innovations, and issues in governance,
- publishes research findings for dissemination in the region and globally, and
- undertakes strategic outreach activities at the country level.
The implementation strategy of the Initiative is based on a two-pronged approach: research, dialogue and dissemination at the regional level; and country outreach activities in the People's Republic of China, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The Initiative is funded by a consortium of multilateral and bilateral institutions. To complement East-West Center's resources and expertise, the activities will be designed and implemented in partnership with leading regional, national and global institutions. The Institutional Partners Group (IPG) has been established including the following national, regional, and global institutions:
National Institutions
- China – China Center for Overseas Social and Philosophical Theories (CCOSPT) and China Center for Comparative Politics and Economics (CCCPE)
- Republic of Korea – Yonsei University and Seoul National University
- Japan – Hosei University, Tokyo University
- Indonesia – University of Indonesia, Partnership for Governance Reform
- Malaysia – Universiti Sains Malaysia
- The Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance Institute for Political and Electoral Reform
- Thailand – Thamassat University
- Bangladesh – Centre for Policy Dialogue and BRAC University
- India – Administrative Staff College of India, Institute of Local Government
- Pakistan – Pakistan Institute for Legislative Development and Transparency, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore University of Management Sciences
Regional and Global Institutions
- United Nations University
- Asian Development Bank
- Harvard University
- UNDP Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific
- Transparency International
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
- Soka University of America
- School of Governance of the University of the South Pacific
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Outcomes: Dialogue and Publications
During the three years of AGDI implementation, three of the five components launched the following activities: Civil Society Engagement, Cross-Border Governance, and Building Trust in Government though Innovations. Technical workshops and policy dialogues were organized at the regional and country levels. Research studies were undertaken in collaboration with the Institutional Partners Group, leading to the publications listed below. Country outreach activities were organized in China and Pakistan.
WORKSHOPS
- Promoting Trust in Government through Innovations in Governance in Asia and the Pacific (January 28-30, 2008, Honolulu)
- Civil Society Engagement in National and Global Governance (July 14-16, 2008, Honolulu)
- Regional Stakeholders Consultation on Cross-Border Governance in Asia and the Pacific (in partnership with UNDP, May 18-20, 2009, Bangkok)
- Governance for Sustainable Development: Global Practices and the Chinese Experience (May 25-26, 2009, Beijing)
- Electoral Reforms in Pakistan (April 26, 2010, Lahore)
- Roundtable on Governance and Development in the Central Asian Republics (March 22, 2010, Honolulu)
- Sustainability and Policy-making (in partnership with UNU/June 30-July 1, 2010, Honolulu)
- Roundtable on Governance for Human Development in South Asia (forthcoming)
PUBLICATIONS
Policy Brief: Governance through Civil Society Engagement in Asia (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2009)
BUILDING TRUST IN GOVERNMENT: INNOVATIONS IN GOVERNANCE REFORM IN ASIA, Edited by G. Shabbir Cheema and Vesselin Popovski (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2010)
ENGAGING CIVIL SOCIETY: EMERGING TRENDS IN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE, Edited by G. Shabbir Cheema and Vesselin Popovski (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2010)
CROSS-BORDER GOVERNANCE IN ASIA: REGIONAL ISSUES AND MECHANISMS , Edited by G. Shabbir Cheema, Christopher A. McNally, and Vesselin Popovski (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2010)
Contact
G. Shabbir Cheema
Director, Asia Pacific Governance and Democracy Initiative
Senior Fellow, Research Program
East-West Center
1601 East West Road, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96848-1601
E-mail: cheemas@eastwestcenter.org
Tel: 808.944.7427 (office)