Labor and Grassroots Civic Interests in Regional Institutions
Nesadurai, Helen E.S. | November 2010
Abstract
"There is a vibrant regional civil society in Asia with numerous civil society organizations (CSOs) advancing a range of economic, political and social causes using three key strategies, namely regional advocacy, civil society parallel summits, and civil society partnerships with states and regional institutions. Although regional institutions have become more willing to engage with non-elite or grassroots civil society and labor groups, business networks are still privileged in institutional processes. Consequently, regional institutions fail to tap the information and knowledge resources of CSOs to enhance the quality of regional institutional governance, defined as the effectiveness of governance institutions as well as their accountability to stakeholders. The paper outlines three interrelated strategies to correct this deficit. First, regional institutions should provide and safeguard a regional “public sphere” in which officials and a variety of CSOs, not just those sharing official views, can engage each other in reasoned discussion. Second, regional institutions should develop more formalized or regularized mechanisms (as opposed to ad hoc or informal measures) through which CSOs can submit research reports, position papers, and comments on the various items on the regional institutional agenda, particularly on new agreements. The Asian Development Bank’s NGO and Civil Society Center offers one institutional model. Third, regional institutions should establish formal accountability mechanisms such as a formal complaints procedure through which stakeholders and their CSO representatives can bring claims against regional institutions as well as internal and independent evaluation mechanisms. "
Citation
Nesadurai, Helen E.S.. 2010. Labor and Grassroots Civic Interests in Regional Institutions. © Asian Development Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/1573.Keywords
Development Economics
Regional Economic Development
Economic Impact
Asian Development Bank
Development
Economic Boom
Regional Economic Integration
Good Governance
Governance Approach
Economic planning
Economic structure
Growth policy
Trade relations
Trade policy
Trade policy
Economic development
Economies in transition
International economy
Border integration
Economic integration
Gross domestic product
Trade policy
Institutional Framework
Public Administration
Business Ethics
Regional economics
Economic forecasting
Economic development projects
Success in business
Business
Free trade
Business
Economics
Communication in economic development
Restraint of trade
International economic integration
Trade blocs
East-West trade
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