Role of Civil Society in Influencing Effective Policy Implementation

A learning seminar was presented at PRIA's head office by Program Officer, Nishu Kaul, and Program Intern, Jamie Myrah, on the "Role of Civil Society in Influencing the Effective Implementation of Public Policy". The seminar, facilitated by Deputy Director, Ms. Namrata Jaitli, was attended by PRIA staff from both head office and several state offices. The purpose of the session was to share conclusions and recommendations that arose from the development of a policy paper that sought to analyze the strategies, impacts and learnings from PRIA's project, "Strengthening Gender Response of Panchayats in Rajasthan" (SGRPR) This analysis was conducted in the context of India's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and its aims for facilitating a system of decentralized health planning in rural communities. SGRPR was a three-year project financially supported by UNFPA and implemented by PRIA in partnership with various civil society organizations in 21 districts of Rajasthan.

The presentation provided background information on the context for the project, including the dire need to address gender issues in Rajasthan and the policy environment that supported interventions focused on strengthening Panchayats. A brief review of the key elements of NRHM was presented, along with an assessment of significant gaps in its current operationalization in Rajasthan. This was followed by a summary of the ways in which strategies from SGRPR were utilized to successfully address these gaps, with a specific view to drawing out key learnings for how best to influence the implementation of policies of decentralization. The presentation concluded with a series of recommendations concerning the ways in which civil society can better influence and support the development and implementation of social policy.

The presentation was followed by a discussion that began with a question as to whether capacity that had been built for decentralized planning had extended beyond the health sector. Ms. Nishu reported that while no formal analysis had been conducted, anecdotal evidence suggested that the important skills and confidence built by Panchayats for planning are being utilized in other areas, such as education. The group also discussed the important role played by media in educating and advocating on gender issues and the challenges of engaging local media. Finally, a discussion took place concerning the need to balance working cooperatively and collaboratively with the state, with the need to ensure they are held accountable for the policies they develop and implement. On that note, closing remarks were provided by PRIA President, Dr. Rajesh Tandon, on the need to differentiate between the development of public policy and the implementation of public policy. He stated that, in the case of implementation, it is important to identify the barriers and obstacles that exist at various levels (i.e., community, Panchayat, state, central, etc.) in order to identify the appropriate strategies necessary to address particular challenges. He stressed the need for a rigorous engagement with the evidence and a critical analysis of the issues and potential interventions by civil society.