How Practice Makes Perfect: Parliamentary Institutes as Centers of Excellence
Dr. Mark Baskin, SUNY/CID,
SALSA Development Seminar, 2-5 October 2012, East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Outline of Presentation
• SUNY/CID: University, Development Center, Legislative Resource Center
• Types of Parliamentary Institutes
• SUNY/CID Experience with Parliamentary Institutes
• How Practice Makes Perfect: Lessons, Feedback Loops and Learning Organizations
State University of New York
• 64 campuses: University Centers, Colleges, Colleges, Community Colleges
• Over 465,000 Students and 33,000 Faculty
• Annual Research Funds (10-11):$940 Million
• Annual University Budget: Over $11.5 Billion
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany • UA: over 17,000 Students from
83 Nations, over 1,000 Faculty Members
• Rockefeller College: Undergrad, MA, MPA, Ph.D Programs in Public Administration and Political Science
• Research Institutes: RIG, PDP, CPR, CID, CWGS, Etc.
• Cooperation with State Legislature
SUNY/CID Projects 1985-2011
SUNY/CID’s Work in Development
• Collaboration with donors, parliaments, governments, universities, IOs and civil society
• Over 55 discrete parliamentary development projects on the ground
• Large, multi-year, technical training, capacity building
• Research-intensive assessments and evaluations
• Research on issues, methods in development, e.g., CDFs
• Internships, roundtables, workshops, conferences, exchanges, mentoring, study tours in US and internationally
Operational Principles: Connecting People and Ideas for Integrated Development
Integrated development rests on five pillars: • Attention to local context, and institutional incentives
• Empowerment of local networks and development of issue-based policy communities
• Cross-disciplinary and inter-organizational collaboration
• Capacity building in pilots, experiments and mentoring
• Sustainability through learning and capacity development
Current and Recent Parliamentary Technical Assistance • Afghanistan • Kenya • Uganda • Bangladesh • Bosnia-Herzegovina • Serbia • Lebanon • Haiti • Jordan
What Types of Services are Provided by Parliamentary Institutes?
• Research on parliamentary processes, e.g., standing orders, comparative legislative processes, etc.
• Applied Research on domestic and foreign policy issues
• Research in response to requests of leadership, MPs, Committees, Secretariat
• Orientation and Training of Staff, MPs, CSOs, Media, regional and local officials
• Develop relationships with national library, universities
Parliamentary Institutes: Inside or Outside Parliament • Internal Institutes
– CRS (US), BPST (India), and in Canada, UK, Czech Republic, etc.
– Responsive to needs, good credibility, easily integrated into parliamentary work and budget, but dangers of political capture and possible difficulties in work with CSOs, Executives and others
• External Institutes, – CPC, SUNY/CID, CLD (Philippines), CEAL (Chile), NCLS
– Work with many different groups helps avoid political capture; association with university enhances credibility; need to renew funding
Parliamentary Institutes: International Associations
• Many Examples: SADC PF, CPA, Parliamentary Network of the World Bank (PNoWB), Arab Institute for Parliamentary Training and Legislative Studies (AIPTLS), UNDP, IPU, GOPAC, EAPI, WBI, many PMOs
• Capacity to share national experiences, lessons
• Capacity to address common issues in policy and process
• Capacity to focus on norms and lessons more than on practical aspects of specific operations
Parliamentary Institutes: Research or Training • Research, library, technical
support for legislation, oversight, outreach provided mainly by internal institutes, but also CSOs, institutes. Research on issues and process.
• Training for staff and MPs include orientations, basic skills, management, administration, research, drafting, outreach, etc.
• Both functions are necessary
MOU:ANA and Civil Society in Kabul
1st Meeting, Arab Parliamentary Libraries
SUNY/CID’s Experience with Institutes
• SUNY Technical Support to Institutes, Libraries Legislative Resource Centers, and Information Management since 1989 – CEAL (Chile), Uganda, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Bulgaria,
Mozambique, Madagascar – EALI, LRC in Jordan, API (Afghanistan), AIPTLS
(Lebanon) – Budget Offices: Kenya, Morocco, Jordan – Cooperation with many international associations – API a “recognized institution of higher learning” in
Afghanistan
SUNY/CID’s Practical Assistance • Set up Document Management
Systems, International Data Bases, Web Sites, GLIN
• Assist in strategic planning and curriculum development
• Identify international experts as mentors, trainers for ToT
• Study Tours, Exchanges, Internships
• Publication of Manuals, Guides, Technical Materials
• Build links to civil society
M&E Workshop at University of Bologna
MOU: Rockefeller College and Kenya Institute of Administration
Some Lessons Learned….
• Good Practice Leads to Good Theory in a Learning and Adaptive Organization: no template always applies
• Necessity is the Mother of Invention: sustainable institutes are initiated by the parliament, not by donors.
• Collaborative Engagement in Policy Communities: bridges among donors, staff, MPs, regional government, CSOs, constituents, media.
• On the Job: training and mentoring the most effective when linked to concrete work tasks and when given by practical experts, i.e., colleagues from abroad
• No magic bullet: the most effective formula is to experiment, test, and make adjustments
Can Practice Makes Perfect?
• Move from lessons to learning and adaptation
• Respond to stake-holders inside and outside Institute
• Strategic Partnerships to build sustainable capacity
State Legislature in Madison, Wisconsin
SUNY supported publication on IT for AIPTLS
Questions or Comments?
How Practice Makes Perfect: Parliamentary Institutes as Centers of Excellence
Dr. Mark Baskin, SUNY/CID,
SALSA Development Seminar, 2-5 October 2012, East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa