Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh
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Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: Бүгднайрамдахчуудын олон улсын хүрээлэн Дэлхий даяар ардчилалыг бэхжүүлэх A Manual on Town Halls For Bagh-Level Officials Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls Contents Disclaimer.............................................................................3 Introduction..........................................................................3 The International Republican Institute............................4 IRI in Mongolia..............................................................4 I. Constituent Engagement...................................................6 Benefits of engagement...................................................9 Your role as an elected official........................................9 II. Engaging through town hall meetings...........................10 Choosing a town hall meeting format............................11 Open forum....................................................................12 Issue-specific forum.......................................................13 Open House format........................................................14 Panel format...................................................................14 Representative town hall................................................15 Media-focused roundtable..............................................15 Determining how questions will be asked.....................16 III. Organizing your town hall meeting..............................17 Five steps to get started..................................................17 During the meeting........................................................20 Do’s and don’ts while participating in town hall meetings.........................................................23 Effectively using media.................................................24 IV. After the town hall........................................................26 V. Appendices.....................................................................30 Appendix 1: Town hall event checklist..........................30 Appendix 2: Sample town hall agendas.........................33 Appendix 3: Sample constituent outreach log...............37 Appendix 4: Constituent sign-in sheet...........................39 Appendix 5: Feedback Survey Template.......................40 Appendix 6: Case study: Jordon....................................43 2 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls Disclaimer Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of this pub- lication. The information in this manual is for educational and discussion purposes only. When disagreements arise be- tween the content in this document and the Mongolian Con- stitution, laws, resolutions and regulations take precedence. Introduction The International Republican Institute recognizes that democracy is about more than elections – lasting democrat- ic systems require leaders that govern in an accountable, re- sponsive manner. Since its democratic transition, Mongolia has continued to undertake a series of political reforms. Most notable has been the movement from centralized power to a more diffuse, decentralized governance system. IRI has a long history in Mongolia and has been working with Mongolians since its democratic transition in the 1990s. Currently, IRI is assisting local officials to better manage the new responsibilities bestowed on them by the New Budget Law (NBL) of 2011, which came into effect in 2013, aimed at improving the legal budget framework with increased decen- tralization and citizen participation in the budgeting process. This manual serves to provide an introduction to the im- portance of constituent outreach in your bagh along with practical guidance on the best ways to organize and conduct town hall meetings. We hope that you will find this manu- al useful as a starting point to improving citizen participation and engagement in your bagh and help you in your critical role as a representative of your constituents. As representa- tives who are the closest to those you represent, your role re- mains key to ensuring Mongolian’s continued success as an example to other countries in the region and beyond of demo- cratic governance. 3 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls The International Republican Institute IRI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advances freedom and democracy worldwide by developing political parties, civil society, civic institutions, open elections, dem- ocratic governance and the rule of law. Since 1983, IRI has conducted programs in more than 100 countries and, along with the Women’s Democracy Network, is currently active in more than 75 countries. The Institute receives funding through grants from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agen- cy for International Development, the National Endowment for Democracy, a number of European foundations and aid agencies such as the United Kingdom’s Department for In- ternational Development (DFID) and other Western coun- tries, and the United Nations. IRI’s network of field offices and long standing relationships with local partners enables the Institute to rapidly design and implement programs that respond to a multitude of political environments, including post-conflict contexts, around the world. IRI in Mongolia Mongolia is one of the few countries in Asia that boasts dynamic institutions of democracy. Mongolia embarked on its democratic path in 1989 with widespread public support for democratic reforms and began its transition to a democ- racy in 1990. Throughout this 21-year period, Mongolia has created and strengthened democratic institutions, including the national legislature, the judiciary, political parties and civil society. IRI has supported the development of dem- ocratic practices and democratic governance in Mongolia since 1992. IRI’s long-standing presence in Mongolia has enabled the Institute to establish a reputation as an expert organization willing to work with all political parties and civil society or- 4 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls ganizations, both in Ulaanbaatar and at the grassroots level in provinces across Mongolia. In recent years IRI has shift- ed its focus to assist the parliament and local governments in public opinion analysis and civic engagement in order to improve the responsiveness of government and participation of citizens at the local level. IRI’s democratic governance program focuses on im- proving local government responsiveness to citizen priori- ties; developing mechanisms for meaningful, inclusive and participatory decision-making at the local level; and en- hancing the ability of local public officials to advocate to authorities at higher levels of government. IRI’s experience and knowledge is used to achieve the following goals with local officials at the provincial level (aimag), county level (soum) and town level (bagh): improve local government responsiveness to citizen priorities; develop mechanisms for meaningful, inclusive and participatory decision-mak- ing at the local level; and enhance the ability of local public officials to advocate to authorities at higher levels of gov- ernment. Through these programs IRI also increases citizen engagement by connecting citizens, political parties, local governments and the State Great Hural (Parliament). As a part of its program, IRI has provided a series of training workshops and consultations on constituent outreach and the New Budget Law (NBL) along with convening a taskforce formed by local government officials and citizens to address community concerns and play a more effective role in the policy making process at the local level. 5 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls I.Constituent Engagement Constituent engagement is part of the process with which government officials develop relationships with citizens to promote civic involvement, increase public awareness and respond to constituent needs. It is a critical part of a repre- sentative’s responsibility to constituents. Through outreach, representatives can be accessible, engaged and address deeply felt needs. A useful tool for conducting outreach and understand- ing constituent needs and priorities are town hall meetings. Town hall meetings are forums that connect citizens with their elected officials to enable the two factions to dialogue face-to-face about issues affecting the community. These events are open to the public, fostering a positive environ- ment for all citizens to share their questions and concerns, thus holding government representatives directly accounta- ble to take action and respond to their constituents’ needs. In turn, elected officials gain a better understanding of cit- izens’ priorities and are allowed the opportunity to explain their own efforts, the impact of their past work and their plans for future improvements within their jurisdiction. Figure 1: Mongolian government structure Mongolian government 21 aimag Capital (province) Ulaanbaatar 329 soum 9 district (sub-province) 1568 bagh 152 khoroo (sub-district) 6 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls Mongolia is a unitary state with a central government and three levels of subnational governments. Currently, there are 21 aimags with 329 soums, and 1568 baghs. The capital city comprises nine districts with 152 khoroos. According to the Constitution,