Civil Society Partnerships

Programme: Achievements &

Looking Ahead

CSPP Partners Workshop13th – 15th November 2006

ODI, London

Overall programme• Welcome / Introduction to workshop

• Introductions and updates

• General progress

• Storytelling/Case Studies

• The Latin America Network

• The ToT in Africa

• Presentations from Other ODI Groups

• Action Research & Global Projects

• Network development

• The New Global Project

• M&E and Indicators

• Funding brainstorm

• Launch of Name and Website

• Preparation for the Advisers’ Meeting

• Presentations to the Advisers

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

General Progress(John Young,

Naved Chowdhury)

Progress so far• > 20 Publications + Website

• > 1000 Participants at WS & Seminars

• Network established > 20 core members

• LA network > 100 members

• Demand from international NGOs

• ↑ ODI communication capacity

– 57 public meetings

– 1.6 million web visitors

– 15,000 subscribers to newsletter.

• 2 successful (?) global projects

• Phase II approved by DFID

• New research.

• 5 ARPs approved

• ToT East Africa

• Several exchanges

• Raised profile in ODI & better collaboration

• External advisers more interested

• Other donors interested

Action!

Field trip to CEF partner

project, BangladeshPresentation at regional

workshop, Malawi

Discussing case studies,

Sri Lanka workshop

Field trip to Naamacha Secondary School,

Mozambique, to test context analysis tools

The Impact Log• “The [CSO Capacity for Policy Engagement paper] pays attention

to a number of concerns and the responses to them that we face in our work as Advisors facilitating Capacity Building Services. Congratulations for this product…” Jyotsna Roy, SPARK-Senior Advisor Local Governance & Gender, SNV

• “We appreciate our relationship with CSPP and ODI. We receive capacity building training on research, policy and advocacy work and newsletters from you. Thank you for all your good work…” Angel E Musenge Executive Director, Voice of the Youth Project, Zambia

• “I found the case studies used in the Sri Lanka workshop useful in a workshop we ran in Uganda recently – to draw lessons on what makes for successful advocacy.” Adam Platt, Triple Line Consulting

• “I found the August issue of the CSPP E-newsletter a very useful … Keep up the good work, it seems like you are developing a really useful information sharing and capacity building network that will a significant resource for CSOs across the world.” Gideon Rabinowitz, CUTS International

Phase II – Revised Log Frame

Not a major change but:

• Recognition of external and internal objectives (purpose)

• 4 external outputs:– Facilitating the network

– Capacity development

– Collaborative action-research projects

– Research

• 3 internal outputs:– ODI Communication Capacity

– Capacity to work with CSOs

– Orientation towards CSOs

Narrative SummarySuper-Goal

Poverty reduced in developing countries

Goal

Development policy is more pro-poor

Purpose

• Southern CSOs make more use of research-based evidence to influence the establishment of pro-poor policy, and

• ODI engages more effectively with southern CSOs and other stakeholders to make more use of ODI’s research-based evidence to influence the establishment of pro-poor policy.

Narrative SummaryNetwork:

• Interactive community website

• Information and knowledge exchange

• General support

Capacity-building:

• staff exchange,

• visiting fellows to ODI and Southern institutes,

• Southern participants in global policy events

• Training and ToT

Research (lessons disseminated):

• Ongoing learning

• “How to do it” guidelines

• New research

Collaborative projects:

• Small-scale ARPs

• Continued support to existing projects

• One new global collaborative project each year

Narrative SummaryODI knowledge easily accessible to CSOs.

• Communications strategy emphasising CSOs

• Improved ODI website and publications

• Meetings and events for CSOs

• Greater engagement with the media

ODI staff use research-based evidence better.

• Build systems and skills in ODI

• Encourage enhanced networking

ODI better able to work with CSOs.

• Strengthened ODI focus on policy influence and working with CSOs

• Improved incentives for staff

• Greater engagement of the CSPP in ODI

• Inputs to other ODI programmes

CSPP Network: Progress so far

• What was the network expected to do?

• Lots of activities have taken place (TOT,

Website, Newsletter, Action Research

Projects, Placement, CSPP LA network,

participation in external events, etc)

• Lots of enquiry about the network (IDRC,

Hewlett, AKF, NBD, ICCDA- Inter regional

Co-ordinating Committee for Development

Associations etc)

• Substantial external demand for support:

(CEF), Transparency International, Infodev

Impact and Governance• Too early to say whether having big

impact on the work of the partners.

• Still hugely ODI Led.

• Interaction among partners been very limited.

• Do we need to define levels of network membership?

• Should CD be only for Core partners?

• How do we find the balance between investing in core partners and in broader network members?

Storytelling/Case Studies

(Ben Ramalingam)

1.Situation

2.A change or

challenge

3.Action

4.Result

5.Lesson

Stories of change

• What was the “most significant change” that has come about as a result of your “research into policy” work in the past 12-18 months?

• Changes can be

– positive or negative

– Related to expanded substantive understanding, a process / structural change, or a change in relationship

– Group or individually focused

– Internal or external

Stories of change

As pairs then groups• Think of a specific change to which you made a contribution

in one of your own projects or programmes, past or present

– Reflect and recall the detail before, during and after. Write nothing down

– 1 minute

• Find someone who haven’t worked with yet and take it in turns to listen to and tell a story

– Please write nothing down.

– 4 minutes; 2 mins each

• Use templates to interview your partner and write each story up

– Make sure your images and messages are clear.

– 10 minutes; 5 minutes each

• Find another pair and tell your partner’s story

– 12 minutes; 3 minutes each

– In your new groups of 4, ask – What are the five concrete actions emerging from this? How might we apply these?

– 10 minutes per group

Latin America Network,

Vanesa Weyrauch, CIPPEC

• Lessons Learned

• How to Establish them in Africa and

Asia?

TOT in East Africa

Vivian Kazi, ESRF

• Lessons Learned

• How to capitalise on them?

DFID’s Governance and

Transparency Fund• DFID’s White Paper 3 – Governance

• “The ability of citizens to make their voices heard and hold their governments to account is fundamental to good governance.”

• DFID’s Governance and Transparency Fund designed “to help citizens hold their governments to account, through strengthening the wide range of groups that can empower and support them.”

What the Fund is?• £100 million over five years – to start in

2007

• To fund coherent portfolios of projects by

consortia – between £1m and £5m

• Working through local partnerships and

networks

– NGOs, faith-based groups, TUs, co-operatives,

media, democracy promotion

• At least 85% of funds to southern

organisations

The G&T Fund, ODI and its –

CSPP and other – partners• ODI considering putting in a proposal

• To lead a consortium

– provide management, M&E, comparative research, cross-case learning, synthesis, and expertise on governance/ transparency/ accountability

• Working with southern partners

• Building on the CSPP

What do you think?• Of interest to CSPP? Of interest to you?

• What are challenges re governance/ transparency/ accountability in your country/region?

• What themes or issues would make good entry points for enhancing governance by demanding accountability?– Media freedoms

– Budget monitoring

– Parliamentary engagement

– others?

• Questions?

• http://www.dfid.gov.uk/consultations/gtf-guidelines.pdf

Presentations from

ODI Groups

Civil Society Partnerships

Programme: Day 2

14th November 2006

Overall programme• Welcome / Introduction to workshop

• Introductions and updates

• General progress

• Storytelling/Case Studies

• The Latin America Network

• The ToT in Africa

• Presentations from Other ODI Groups

• Action Research & Global Projects

• Network development

• The New Global Project

• M&E and Indicators

• Funding brainstorm

• Launch of Name and Website

• Preparation for the Advisers’ Meeting

• Presentations to the Advisers

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Action-Research and

Global ProjectsIntroduced by John Young and

Ben Ramalingam

1. Taking Heads

Collaborative Action Research Projects

• Land Policy - Zambia

• Regional Government Policy - Peru

• Policy on Chronic Poverty - Uganda

• Resettlement Policy - Sri Lanka

• Trade Policy - Bangladesh

Global Projects

• Economic Partnership Agreements

• Forum for the Future of Aid

All CSPP projects should be viewed as a

learning process…

Goals ResultsUsing

Knowledge

Doing

Learnduring

Learnafter

Learnbefore

External networks; Colleagues; Own knowledge; Information assets

2. Peer Assist Session

Learning before projects:

“Start with the attitude that

someone probably already has

some experience of what I am

about to do.

I wonder who?”

2. Peer Assist Session

• A peer assist is a meeting or workshop where

people are invited from other groups and

organisations to share their experience, insights

and knowledge with a team who have requested

some help early on in a piece of work

• A peer assist:

– targets specific challenges;

– gains assistance and insights from people outside the

team;

– identifies possible approaches and new lines of inquiry;

– promotes sharing of learning with each other; and

– develops mini-networks amongst people involved

2. Peer Assist Session

All peer assists involve the same basic process:

• Project team member (s) presents the project and specific problem (s) faced

• Participants consider the project, and discuss issues of general interest

• Participants consider the specific problem (s) and consider what the team might need to do in order to address the problem, drawing on options and experiences from elsewhere

4) Project team member summarises the contribution of the participants, suggests what the team might be doing as a result of discussion, and circulates a brief follow-up note to participants afterwards

5) All participants asked to reflect on what they learned, and how they might apply it going forward.

2. Peer Assist Session

We have a half an hour for each peer

assists:

9:30-10:00 – 4 projects

10:00-10:30 – 3 projects

2. Peer Assist Session

Networks(Enrique Mendizabal

Ben Ramalingam)

Networks: just the latest Buzzword?

“Power does not reside in institutions, not even the

state or large corporations. It is located in the

networks that structure society.” (Manuel Castells,

2004)

“We are some way from being able to structure

public and organisational power in ways which really

harness network potential…” (McCarthy, Miller and

Skidmore, 2004)

“Africa’s strength lies in social networks which are

invisible to many outsiders.” (Commission for Africa,

2005)

But what do they actually do?

6 Key Functions

Filters

FacilitatorsCommunity

builders

Investor/

providers

Amplifiers Convenors

Community building• Community building functions

promote and sustain the values and standards of a network of individuals or groups

• Some make the transition from community builders to amplifiers and conveners.

• Community building networks often develop strong links withinthe network but none / few weak links outside the network

Community Building: CIVICUS• CIVICUS is an international alliance established to

promote the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world. It has more than 650 members in 110 countries

– Membership: diverse, including networks and organisational sectors; policy and research, grant-making, youth, women, and the environment.

– Functions: Community builder (through unifying events, service provision and newsletter/publications), filter (Civil Society Watch Index), investor/provider (governance capacity for CSOs), convenor (to a degree).

– Structure: A hub in the developing world and regional offices in the developed world.

– Special characteristics: CIVICUS headquarters and operational hub is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It also has offices in Washington, DC and in London.

– More info: http://www.civicus.org/new/default.asp

Filtering• The filtering function allows

unmanageable amounts of information to be organised and used in a productive way

• Filtering networks can provide decision makers with a valuable service

• There is evidence that NGOs and think tanks can fulfil a filtering function– NGOs in the UK, for instance, often

work to filter the evidence from several research sources

An Example of FilteringThe Development Executive Group:• The Development Executive Group is a global membership

organisation which provides members with useful information on the international development “industry”, facilitating intra-network communications and access to resources e.g. experts, contracts

– Membership: firms, non-profit organizations, and individual professionals working in the international development marketplace.

– Functions: Filter (from outside to the inside), community building (among development workers) and facilitator (facilitates access to other members and resources), provides (acts as a broker between donors/clients and members)

– Structure: Strong management hub that filters information from the outside to make it relevant and useful to its members.

– Special characteristics: emphasis on communications between partner members, multiple functions

– More Info: http://www.developmentex.com/index.asp

Amplifying

• Amplifiers help take an private / complex idea or a message and transfer it to a public or simple –or understandable-one.

• Amplification can be used to disseminate a message or idea, and can also be part of a two way process of communication and feedback

Example of AmplifyingThe Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance• The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance works through an

education approach to tackle the issues of global trade and HIV/AIDS

• Membership: more than 85 churches and church-related organizations have joined the Alliance and bring a constituency to this common work of advocacy of more than 100 million people worldwide.

• Functions: Amplifying (the messages of HIV/AIDS, conflict and trade through churches), facilitating (coordination of actions among members)

• Structure: A small coordinating secretariat in Switzerland and a global committee. Other members are loosely attached.

• Special characteristics: A faith-based membership and use of institutional infrastructure of the Church provide the network with additional organisational strength. Its governance agreement does not then need to address too many non-executive issues

• More info: http://www.e-alliance.ch/

Facilitating• Facilitating functions help

members carryout their activities more efficiently and effectively– Facilitator networks, like

facilitators at a workshop help make things happen but do not need to be involved with the member’s work.

• This function is often hard to differentiate from the others because, in theory, all networks are created to facilitate the achievement of any particular objective.

Example of FacilitatingOutcome Mapping Learning Community,

Global• OMLN is a network of Outcome Mapping users

which seeks to link all users of the Om methods

• Membership: Individuals from NGOs, UN agencies, Grass roots organisations,

• Functions: Facilitator (for people to improve use of the OM methodology), community builder (of OM users worldwide)

• Structure: A hub and many members but managed mostly via the internet and virtual communications.

• Special characteristics: The network has been developed almost solely relying on online interactions

• More info: http://www.outcomemapping.ca

Investing and Providing• Investing networks offer a

channel to provide members with the resources they need to carryout their main activities

• Broker investor/provider networks act mostly as facilitators connecting, for instance, donors and trainers with network members

• Networks can also be useful to invest or provide to third parties e.g. non-members

Example of Investing-Providing

African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF):

• The ACBF, based in Harare, is an independent, capacity-building institution

• Membership: 3 sponsoring agencies (AfDB, UNDP and the World Bank), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 32 African countries and non-African countries and institutions.

• Functions: Investor/provider (capacity building and funding), facilitation (networking), amplifier (via publications and events), filter (of information in support of ACBF researchers)

• Key structure: A steering committee/secretariat that carries out the activities of the foundations.

• Special characteristics: It covers 2 regional organisations and 26 national focal points in 37 countries in Africa. It offers research grants as well as capacity building grants. It offers members networking activities as well as specialised workshops. It also finances workshops carried out by workshops.

• More info: http://www.acbf-pact.org/

Convening• Convening networks bring together

individuals and groups from different nationalities, disciplines, practices, or from different areas of the aid system

• Issues of authority structures, logistical capacities, credibility and media, communication and dissemination skills require special attention.

• Convening requires that the audience be more carefully defined and must develop context and audience specific tools

• Convening networks allow the development of systematic and sustainable linkages between researchers, policymakers and practitioners

• Convening networks need to carryout systematic and elaborate assessments of audiences, and also need to filter information to respond to a highly informed and specialised demand.

• Sequence of network development may culminate in a convening network in which all other functions come together.

Example of ConveningCoalition 2000, Bulgaria anti corruption network• Coalition 2000 is an initiative of a number of Bulgarian non-

governmental organizations aimed at combating corruption. It works at the agenda setting level drafting an Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Bulgaria, as well as implementing an awareness campaign and a monitoring system.

• Membership: International and governmental institutions, national NGOs and individuals

• Functions: Convenor (brings together various sectors and addresses their concerns), filter (information on corruption for easy access by all users), amplifier (of its work, findings of research and media), community building (help establish coalitions)

• Structure: A partnership network of partners from civil society, government and the private sector. Consists of a Policy Forum which sets work plans, made to determine the Coalition’s work and is made up of representatives of all relevant institutions; a Steering Committee that provides direction and oversees the process; and a Secretariat that provides the management.

• Special characteristics: The network provides consensus and coalition building; collects information, disseminates (mostly to inform and shame) and influences policy through direct and indirect action.

• More info: http://www.anticorruption.bg/eng/coalition/about.htm

6 Key Functions

Filters

FacilitatorsCommunity

builders

Investor/

providers

AmplifiersConvenors

Functional focus: current and ideal

Task: Existing Balance,

Ideal Balance• Working alone, then in pairs, then in

groups– Map the current functional focus of this network

by allocating 100 marks across the different functions

– Then do the “ideal focus”

– In pairs discuss why you gave the “current” and “ideal” allocation that you did

– We will come around to get your scores and calculate the shared “wisdom of the crowd”

– Then in groups of 4-6, discuss what might be required to move from the shared Current to shared Ideal (suggestions are on reverse of worksheet)

– 5 key points to be recorded, with reports back to the group

The Next Global

Project: Brainstorm(John Young)

PrinciplesThe Global projects should:

• Aim to influence a specific policy process through: – Clear identification of policy mechanisms

– A clear policy engagement strategy

• Be based on existing evidence (not new research)

• Have some chance of success (context assessment)

• Be on an issue where ODI has some expertise and experience

• Have built-in learning and M&E

Ideas from last yearLatin America• Debt

• Trade

• Internal Migration

Asia• Trade and

Development

• Reform of Aid System

• The Economics of Emergencies (HIV/Aids, national disasters, epidemics)

• LDC Trade and Development

West Africa• Trade,

• Access to markets,

• Subsidies

• Debt cancellation

East & Southern Africa• Trade

• Debt

• Aid

• Environment and Climate Change

• PRSPs and MDGs

• HIV/AIDS

Need to decide…

1) Possible Topics

2) Mechanism for Commissioning /

implementation

M&E(John Young)

M&E in the CSPP• “Requirement” of PPA

• Focus on delivery of

• Outputs and purpose

• Iterative process

• New Log Frame

• M&E Framework

• 2 Purposes: Internal and External

• Focus today is on M&E of external purpose: ie the development and work of the network

Key Actors and ActivitiesKey actors:

• Academic and PRIs in North & South

• Internal ODI stakeholders

• Other CSOs (iNGOS, NGOS, GROs, networks, foundations etc).

High-impact activities:

• Capacity development for CSPP network members

• Improving the skills of ODI staff

• Ensuring ODI knowledge is accessible to CSOs

• Ensuring relevant programme lessons are disseminated

M&E Products• Annual Report.

• Annual Report to DFID

• DFID Mid-Term Review (late 2007)

• Annual Partners' Meeting (November)

• Annual Advisors' Meeting (November)

• Virtual ½ yearly Advisors' Meeting

• SMT Meetings in ODI

• CSPP Management Team Meetings.

• CSPP Newsletter (quarterly)

• Web Site (updated regularly)

• Special Products (eg Baseline Survey, Green Book etc).

Specific Indicators for…

Purpose 2 Indicators

Means of

Verification

Southern CSOs

make more use

of research-

based evidence

to influence the

establishment of

pro-poor policy

• Policy engagement

activities of CSOs

are visibly informed

by research-based

evidence

• Southern CSOs

adopt strategies to

generate and use

research in policy

engagement

• Policy briefs

etc produced

by southern

CSOs

• Logs from core

collaborators

• Episode

studies

• Interviews with

collaborators

• CSO survey

Specific Indicators for…Output 2 Indicators MoV

Relevant

capacity

development

events and

products for

CSPP network

members and

other CSOs

• X types of events

relevant to concerns of

network members and

other CSOs

• X types of products

relevant to concerns of

network members and

other CSOs

• 2 exchange visitors in

residence at ODI for a

period of 1-3 months

• X participants sponsored

• X people attended

training

• X% of network members

attended training

• CSPP Annual Report

• Reports on events and

products on network

website

• Reports from fellows and

sponsored participants

made available on network

website

• Training manuals available

on network website

• Training workshop

statistics collected (on

number of participants and

their affiliation)

How would you monitor

whether:

“Southern CSOs make more use of

research-based evidence to influence

the establishment of pro-poor policy”

- What indicators would you use?

- How would you Measure them?

Fundraising(John Young,

Naved Chowdhury)

Fundraising Opportunities

Untied money:

• Hewlett

• DFID (PPA / GTF)

• Big Fund

Tied Money:

• CEF

• IDRC

• DFID (LA Trade / C4C / Kenya)

• SA Trust

Launch of Network

Name and Website

Name of Network

• Which of the proposed acronyms

and names do you prefer?

– CSPN: Civil Society Partnerships

Network

– EPN: Evidence into Policy Network

– BRPN: Bridging Research and Policy

Network

– EBDPN: Evidence-based Development

Policy Network

– CSP-Net: Civil Society Partnerships

Network

Network Website

• Which of the proposed styles do you

think best reflects the objectives of

the network?

• Do you have any comments or

suggestions on the layout and style?

Website Design 1 (Savannah)

Website Design 2 (Silver)

Website Design 3 (Countries)

Website Design 4 (Limey)

Website Design 1 (Savannah)

Website Design 2 (Silver)

Website Design 3 (Countries)

Website Design 4 (Limey)

Preparation for Tomorrow

• Group work:

– Suggestions / Recommendations

to Advisers on Network

– Group Presentations to Advisers

• Travel to Oxford for

ODI-INASP Symposium

• See you tomorrow!