Public Private Dialogue: From Ideas to Action

Earlier this year, the World Bank, IFC, OECD Development Centre, and DFID held a workshop on public private dialogue (PPD).  The workshop report is now available here.

One of the outcomes of the workshop has been the drafting of the “Charter of Good Practice in using Public Private Dialogue for Private Sector Development.”  The charter is based on several key principles, focusing on the development of PPD mechanisms which reflect the realities of the domestic business community; the energy and success of “champions” on both sides; local as well as national dialogue; and the role of dialogue in post-conflict environments.

There are a number of case studies in the report, with some interesting ‘lessons learned’ or ‘challenges’ sections.  For example:

• The public in Croatia and other transition countries still looks to the Government as the primary driver of the economic and social reform process, and the councils should work to change this perception…
• Need to continue to generate short-term results to keep the private sector engaged, without alienating government by being perceived as overly negative and critical.
• Policy makers often fail to acknowledge the significance of advocacy organizations in policy implementation.
• One must take into account the amount of time it takes to achieve consensus and create a truly well-developed plan. It is better to overestimate the amount of time it takes and try to set realistic goals…
• …the consultative mechanism must be formalized, institutionalized and fully synchronized with the government’s internal structure for handling the negotiations. Ad-hoc, informal and emergency meetings may be helpful, but a protracted negotiating process such as that in the WTO and in FTAs needs a clear structure linked up with the negotiating system and a more-or-less permanent membership that is involved in the whole process of negotiations.
• Public-private dialogue should not be abused to ask for protection or hand-outs. In Vietnam this was achieved by working through chambers of commerce and other business groups.

CIPE would have also had something to contribute to this workshop.  Check out case studies on the work of business associations in Tanzania and the success of business coalitions in Russia.