5.1. Communication Considerations in Policy Formulation
| The policy maker needs to identify a cross-section of stakeholders who influence policy making and are also affected by the proposed policy. These could include stakeholders both within the Government and outside. It may also be necessary to identify the objectives and the rationale for engaging these stakeholders - whether it is to obtain technical inputs, address potential conflicts and/or contradictions if any or just to solicit wider support - and plan out the communication actions to be taken - for example, consultations through a website, structured forums such as a group of ministers or a committee of secretaries, holding a series of roundtables with a wider set of stakeholders etc. Communication considerations in policy formulations across various stakeholders are discussed below in brief. |
|
1. Officials and civil servants - Policy formulation for PPPs often requires interfacing and soliciting the views of multiple Ministries/Departments. For instance, a cross-sector, national level PPP policy may require buy-in and acceptance from a wide range of line Ministries and Departments both at the National and State levels. Such deliberations among Departments typically take place once a discussion document is prepared by the nodal Department/Agency that assumes stewardship and overall responsibility. Communication towards policy formulation is then through a series of consultations among the originating Department and other line Departments/agencies involved, which requires seeking inputs and having exchanges towards finalizing of the policy.
In cases where specific technical inputs are required for policy formulation, expert committees may need to be set up to deliberate policy. In addition, inputs from academic and research institutions, contributions from economic research and technical assistance from think tanks, development agencies and multilateral/bilateral agencies may also support and contribute to the technical inputs needed for policy formulation.
2. Ministers and political leaders - Policy should finally be reflected in the form of Government Orders and guidelines or, in some cases, enacted as legislation. It is important to understand fairly early the scope of the policy and the range of approvals that are required from various levels, i.e., those from within the Ministry, or from the cabinet or from a group of ministers.
When there is need for wider political buy-in, the intensity of consultations required among Departments/Ministries is relatively higher to ensure that the concerns and feedback of all concerned are taken into account. As the discussion document is circulated, there is a need for significant inter-personal consultations to mobilise political support. Wider political support requires setting a positive environment through a combination of precedence-led and assurance-led communication
| Utility of a Peer Group in Policy Formulation A peer group can be quite useful for consensus building, particularly in situations of inter-state policy formulation. The implementation of the value added tax at the State level is a good example in this regard. Given the complexities and heterogeneity in tax structures, the approach to create a structured platform through an Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers (that was scaled up from 15 members to 30 members) to iron out initial differences and build consensus paved the way for a relatively sustainable implementation of the initiative. The Empowered Committee met periodically and deliberated on the implementation based on a formal Terms of Reference, which included outlining the steps to ensure that VAT was revenue enhancing, specifying the principles and levels of compensation to be paid to States for revenue loss, if any, due to the implementation of VAT and working out modalities for phasing out central sales tax. |
| 3. Regulators - In the case of policies involving sectors having independent regulators, as in the case of power and telecommunication, consultation with the concerned regulator is critical to ensure consistency with existing regulations in the sector. In regulated sectors, there may also be a statutory requirement for open-house hearings among a wider set of stakeholders. 4. Private sector - The principal goal of communication with the private sector at a policy level should be to promote the programme as an attractive investment opportunity and to establish the Government as a credible partner for the private concessionaire to work with over a period to attain the objectives of the programme. Communication with the private sector in this context should, therefore, be aspiration-led (with a focus on targets and goals) and assurance-heavy (a commitment to honour contractual obligations, policy continuity and transparency). Policy makers should also engage with industry through industry-level consultative committees that provide recommendations to formulate and review policy periodically. Road shows and seminars/conferences are useful forums where policy makers from Government can fruitfully engage with the private sector on public platforms to create a shared understanding and build mutual confidence. 5. Public at large - Creating a favourable public image for PPPs among the public at large and creating a groundswell of support can help counter unwarranted opposition to policy. As part of its advocacy role, policy makers could leverage the mass media for positive reinforcement. For instance, policy makers could collaborate with television/radio news channels and/or print media to produce a series of programmes and columns respectively on PPPs that could be suitably packaged (e.g. PPPs in practice, successful PPP projects and so on). A policy maker can mobilise popular support for PPPs across sectors by widely disseminating their positive impact by showcasing the real, 'on-the-ground' impact of select PPP programmes/projects across the country. | |
| 6. Media and Journalists -Given the complexity of PPP structuring and the multiplicity of stakeholders involved, a pro-active engagement with the media is critical to ensure balanced and factual reporting. There appears to be a case for creating content for specialised training programmes for PPP reporting. Agencies like World Bank and PPIAF are well-placed to support the development of course content and training modules for such tool-kits in view of their multi-country experience. Such courses could also be developed and offered as part of graduation courses in journalism and/or as executive development programmes in collaboration with leading broadcasters/universities. Over and above generic courses, early and continuous engagement with local and national media on the facts of the chosen PPP project model will still remain critical to the overall success. |
|
| Role of Journalists' Training in PPP Reporting A key factor in the success of a communication effort is journalists' involvement and interest in economic issues. Any attempt to promote a dialogue and build public support about the merits of PPPs requires journalists to promote the principles of transparency and public accountability. In order to allow journalists to take an informed look at PPPs and to develop a deeper understanding of its mechanisms, it is necessary to remind them of the leading role that the media plays in society as a watchdog of democracy, as a platform for accountability in politics, and as a catalyst for the overall advancement of well-being. Engaging in a dialogue directly with the media through nationwide training-like programmes on economic issues, therefore, can be a key element of a communication programme. The World Bank Institute has organised such a training programme for journalists in several African countries to equip them with the basic tools needed to understand the complex economic issues associated with privatisation. This training was not designed to directly promote the Government's privatization programme, individual transactions, or World Bank-financed projects. Experience has shown that such training is more credible and effective if organised by a well-established academic institution and designed in a format that combines the teachings of economic theory with concrete suggestions on how to report better about the public merits of PPP projects. Source: "Strategic Communication for Privatization, PPPs, and Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects", Daniel Calabrese, World Bank, 2008 |