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Chapter 14: Advocacy & Legal Advice Centres (ALACs)

Chapter 14: Advocacy & Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) Experiences in fostering citizen participation and government responsiveness Angela Keller-Herzog. Kumarian Press. Unpacking statements about ‘lack of political will’ a little…. Is it like a light-switch?

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Chapter 14: Advocacy & Legal Advice Centres (ALACs)

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  1. Chapter 14: Advocacy & Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) Experiences in fostering citizen participation and government responsiveness Angela Keller-Herzog Kumarian Press

  2. Unpacking statements about ‘lack of political will’ a little…. • Is it like a light-switch? • Is it the primary determinant factor shaping governance • Abstract, intangible, untouchable? • Idiosyncratic geopolitical pressures and circumstance-bound power struggles Statements which attribute our failures to “lack of political will” can have a strong sub-text of disempowerment and disconnectedness • Need to examine our own connectedness • Need to see how we are constructing ourselves to be empowered agencies… to converse with the agencies of political will

  3. A global movement against corruption established in 1993 • A world-wide network of 99 national chapters / contacts / partners • International Secretariat in Berlin • International Board of Directors • Global Network of Senior advisors and other volunteers

  4. Global Map of TI ALACs

  5. Advocacy & Legal Advice Centres A Case Study

  6. ALAC 101 • ALACs aim to: • Empower citizens to make and pursue corruption-related complaints • Translate these complaints into structural changes ALAC activities are to: • Provide legal advice and assistance to victims or witnesses of corruption • Help citizens pursue corruption-related complaints • Undertake advocacy for broader reform

  7. ALAC 101 • The rationales for the ALAC are that: • The fight against corruption will be more effective if citizens are involved (anti-corruption work not limited to ‘experts’) • Engaging directly with citizens provides a deeper understanding as to how corruption works in practice (information not always available from surveys) • Reflecting the real experiences of people enhances the legitimacy of advocacy campaigns (grounded in the concerns of the population; not just TI ‘opinion’)

  8. ALAC 101 • The types of cases the ALACs deal with vary enormously: • From small- (e.g., small business licensing) to large-scale (hundreds of millions of dollars/ procurement) • Across sectors (e.g., businesses, health, education) • The clients include: • Vulnerable people (who frequently have no other options available) • Empowered individuals (seeking to assert their rights and who are frequently able to effect change)

  9. The democratisation of the anti-corruption fight:At a basic and obvious level, the ALACs are the empowerment of individuals to fight against corruption. In this, ALACs provide a practical answer to the problem of how to broaden the anti-corruption coalition and involve citizens. Institutional reform:By using information gained from cases (either individual cases or common themes running through a variety of cases), the ALACs are able to advocate for reform. Many larger-scale changes have been effected by ALACs, including, for example, introduction of whistle-blower laws, new administrative procedures for inspections and licenses.

  10. Connecting: Participation & Engagement

  11. An Approach not a Blueprint In practice ALACs vary enormously from country to country. Environment: If legal system functions, ALACs can focus more on pursuit of legal remedies. More broadly, the environment for ALACs is set by how citizenship can be practiced in a country. Culture and history are important in shaping the functioning of institutions. NC leadership and management choices: Different perception of risks, different perception of opportunities, different roads to Rome.

  12. Mobile Outreach Transparency Azerbaijan Pioneering Practice

  13. 2. Experience to Date -- Quantitative

  14. Inventing Ourselves Through our Practice Key Success Factors of TI ALACs: • Engagement and connection is necessary but not sufficient • Persistence and consistency • the (multi-dimensional) powers of information Lessons: • One-off messages do not succeed. • Consistent and legal framing is appreciated by bureaucrats/technocrats. • Managerial competence and capacity required to achieve quality benchmarks of practice

  15. ALACs: Helping Citizens resist corruption • ALACs: Translating citizen complaints into structural change • ALACs: New Generation of TI Program Thank You

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