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