The Global Policy Environment Introduction · 2010. 6. 2. · Environment and NR Environment and NR...

© FAO September 2009

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Resources for policy making

The Global Policy Environment

Introduction


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By

for the

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Sharing knowledge for policy making

Vito Cistulli, Senior Policy Officer

Policy Assistance Support Service, Policy and Programme Development Support Division

The Global Policy Environment

Introduction

About EASYPol The EASYPol home page is available at: www.fao.org/easypol

EASYPol is a multilingual repository of freely downloadable resources for policy making in agriculture, rural development and food security. The resources are the results of research and field work by policy experts at FAO. The site is maintained by FAO’s Policy Assistance Support Service, Policy and Programme Development Support Division, FAO.

Related resources:See the Training Path Policy Learning Programme 2009 for other related resources. Download theProgramme Summary for background information and the Overview of the Programme Modules and Sessions for a complete list of resources developed for the Policy Learning Programme 2009. FAO Policy Learning Website: http://www.fao.org/tc/tca/policy-learning/en/

http://www.fao.org/easypol

http://www.fao.org/easypol/output/browse_by_training_path.asp?DEBUG=&page=&lang=&id_topic=&display=&search=&type=&abstr_type=&ascdes=&ordenAnt=&fdesde=&fhasta=&language=&type_search=&id_topic=&id=489&pub_id=489&id_cat=46

http://www.fao.org/docs/up/easypol/816/Programme_Summary_224EN.pdf

http://www.fao.org/docs/up/easypol/816/presentation-easypol_224EN.pdf




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Objectives

Users will understand

the global policy making processes and the role of the many elements influencing it

the challenges and opportunities for individual countries of integration in the global context

the implications of the global policy environment for national decision making


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Purpose

Sensitize on the complexities of the global policy making and on recent trends

Set up a simple framework of global policy making

Provide some hints for countries’ strategic positioning in the global policy making process


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Questions

Why do we need global policies?

How are/can issues be translated into policies?

Who or what influences the policy objectives and agenda?

What is at stake today in the international arena?

Where are decisions made?

How do decisions at the global level influence national policy frameworks


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Policy making: a complex and chaotic process

Actors

Issues

Institutions

Outputs

Advocay

Defining issues

Suggesting actions Achieving

consensus

Implementing & EnforcingM&E

Cap

acity

build

ing

Knowledge

FinancingEconomic

Political

NaturalTechnological

POLICY POLICY CYCLECYCLE


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A framework for the analysis of global policy process

Actors

States

Alliances (G6, G8, G77)

Business sector

Civil Society

Institutions

Bretton Woods Institutions

UN System

WTO

Policy Issues

Environmental

Social

Economic

Outputs

Plan of actions

Conferences

Programmes

Agreements

Summits

Cross cutting factors

Financing

Information

Knowledge

Capacity Building

Advocacy

Economic eventsPolitical events Ecological events

Exogenous elements

Internal elements


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Actors

! The number of INGOshas increased from 427 in 1940 to 2,296 in 1970 and over 280 000 in 2006 according to the Union of International Associations but over one million according to informal sources.

ActorsActors

StatesStates

Business sector

Business sector

Civil SocietyCivil Society

! Increasing role in public private partnerships for project and programmefinancing

! Gates Foundation = $30bn! Berkshire Hathaway chief

executive Warren Buffettdonation to Gates Foundation = $30bn

! ODA 2006 = $ 103 bn! But also in areas so far

considered of public domain, e.g. food standards

The respective role of actors has undergone substantial changes in the last decades, which has considerably influenced the debate, the priorities and the negotiation process in the international arena.

! Nation-state influence in global decision making is shrinking: because of

ODA cuts: 2006= $ 103 bnreduced support for multilateral funding agencies like the UN

At the advantage of international non governmental organizations but also of subnational levels


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Institutions

" A plethora of institutions and implications for global governance:Transaction costsDuplicationCoordinationHarmonizationCoherence

InstitutionsInstitutions

International Financial

Institutions

International Financial

InstitutionsUN SystemUN System

World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

OECDOECD

Regional Economic

Organizations

Regional Economic

Organizations


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Policy issues

Policy IssuesPolicy Issues

Environment and NR

Environment and NR

SocialSocial EconomicEconomic

! A substantial continuity in global priority though with an evolving approach due to:

the changing political, economic and institutional contextthe changing discourse and norms brought into the global negotiations by the “new” actors

! Formalization of the global priority objectives into The MilleniumDevelopment Goals, which become the reference framework for policy making at the global level and for all the development partners.

! The issue is whether the policy agenda matches with the political agenda

RightsRights


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Outputs

OutputsOutputs

Plan of actionsPlan of actions

ConferencesConferences

ProgrammesProgrammes

AgreementsAgreements

SummitsSummits

DeclarationsDeclarations

! One of the problems involved in taking legal action against violations of international conventions is that even if governments sign and ratify international laws, they are not obliged to pass national laws to implement them, and often they do not do so.

ConventionsConventions

Decisions

Decisions

Actions

Actions

CommitmentsCommitments

VoluntaryVoluntaryLegally BindingLegally Binding

ConditionalConditional

TreatiesTreaties


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Cross-cutting functions

! To achieve consensus, legitimacy, harmonization, ownership, accountability, coherence and consistency.

! Example, budget support, “... partner countries have committed themselves, inter alia, to set clear development priorities and undertake policy and institutional reforms; to increase results and be more accountable to their constituencies; to promote macroeconomic stability, including economic liberalization and amore equitable distribution of income and wealth.”

Cross cutting

functions

Cross cutting

functions

FinancingFinancingInformationInformation KnowledgeKnowledgeCapacityBuilding

CapacityBuilding

AdvocacyAdvocacy


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Exogenous factors

Exogenous factorsExogenous factorsEconomic eventsEconomic eventsPolitical eventsPolitical events

Natural and human

disasters

Natural and human

disasters ! End of cold war! Gulf War 1 & 2! September 11

!Debt crisis of DCs in the 80s -> Structural Adjustment Programmes

!Financial crisis in Asia in the 90s

!Food crisis 2008!World Financial crisis

2009

! Oil crisis in the 70s! Chernobyl fallout in

1989! Tsunami 2004! Droughts 2007


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Preliminary conclusions

1. Isolation and self-reliance is a not an option in a globalizing world

2. Effectiveness of the new global policy framework and governance needs to be strengthened, particularly at the country level

3. Global negotiations influence national policy decision making and priorities through conventions, agreements, and treaties, and their compliance mechanisms

4. Policies at the national level must be based on a thorough assessment of the threats and opportunities of the global policies in order to take appropriate policy action

5. Developing countries are often a weak partner in the global policy making and can hardly influence processes and decisions. DCs need to understand how to strengthen their influence in the global debate, to avoid distorting effects of global policy agenda on national development priorities in terms of resource allocation (human and financial) and to take advantage of the opportunities


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Preliminary conclusions

Strengths! Increased participation in decision

centers (WTO)! Most of the countries have already

embarked on reforms in line with the Washington Consensus principles (liberalisation, privatisation and decentralisation).

Weaknesses! Unbalanced access to information

and knowledge! Limited capacities in negotiation on

specific issues! Lack of financial resources

Threats! Decline of Nation-State influence in

public goods policies (e.g., food standards) ‏

! Diversion of the best capacities of the country to global issues

! Possible increase of transaction costs due to the plethora of actors and institutions

! Decreasing influence of sectoralministries (particularly MoA)

! Marginalization of non profitable disadvantaged areas and people

Opportunities! Improved management of

macroeconomic and budgetary policies! Increased attractiveness of foreign

investments! Transfer of knowledge and capacities

and reduction of the technological divide

! Higher transparency and accountability with increasing participation of stakeholders resulting in increased ownership and consensus

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The Global Policy Environment Introduction · 2010. 6. 2. · Environment and NR Environment and NR...

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