Types of change

The types of change that INSPIRED processes can deliver follow the three orientations of the approach - policy, process & partnership - although many of them cross several categories and cannot be understood isolated from the other transformations that they bring about.

However, for the sake of conceptual clarity, we are hereby systematising them into three main areas: Policy & institutional improvements (resulting from the orientation to policy), openness to collaboration (resulting from the orientation to process) and joint action (resulting from the orientation to partnerships).

The first type of change that a given INSPIRED process may bring about relates to the policy itself. It would be overly ambitious – and dangerously misleading – to pretend that a dialogue process can be expected to deliver results at the policy level – such as better inclusion of women in the labour market, improved opportunities for PWD workers, improved health services for people without resources, etc. – as these still remain in the responsibility of the government and depend on factors that escape the capacity of the stakeholders involved in the dialogue.

More realistically, the success or failure of the dialogue is to be assessed in terms of policy influence, i.e.: the extent to which the conclusions attained by the participants are being taken on board by the actual decision-makers. A condition of such results is the inclusiveness of the policy-making process and the opening of the institutional framework beyond state bodies and agencies. This will allow for the integration of those other actors – CSOs, think tanks, social agents, etc. – that must also have a say if they are expected to engage in policy implementation.

Below is a list of some of the outcome areas that can be expected along these lines:

  • Improved policy framing to include multiple and diverse views

  • Strengthened spaces for policy dialogue and evaluation

  • Strengthened policy networks between key formal and informal actors

  • Improved policy knowledge and access to information

  • Improved enforcement and policy implementation through division of labour

  • Improved institutional processes through multi-stakeholder coordination

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