10. Working groups

Type of tool: Capacity development, Trust building and Cooperation & networking.

Purpose

The creation of working groups responds to different needs that may arise along the dialogue process and seek to organize the division of labour among the stakeholders involved in order to dynamise the process. Working groups can be organized along all the three phases of the INSPIRED method and can serve different purposes, from addressing specific aspects of the joint research to drafting the Roadmap for Reform or launching an advocacy campaign.

Rationale

More or less loosely established working groups of relevant stakeholders are often needed to successfully implement the dialogue process, as they clear the ground for consensus through preparatory work. They can be very useful in all the phases of the INSPIRED process, as they can speed up some aspects of the joint research during the Collective Assessment, pave the way towards the Roadmap for Reform or undertake its monitoring once it has been approved.

The table below describes their key functions at the different phases of the process.

Collective Assessment Phase

• Working groups allow stakeholders to get better acquainted one with another by jointly embarking on a proper situation analysis;

• Working groups invite participants to start networking and mapping together the policy landscape;

• Different thematic working group can focus on various aspects of the targeted policy area depending on the specialization of their members.

Consensus building Phase

• Working groups can devote more time to assess the different policy alternatives;

• Working groups can pave the way towards consensus by agreeing on the evaluative criteria for the policy options that are being considered;

• Working groups act as parallel platforms and more dynamic instances of dialogue between stakeholders.

Monitoring and Donor Alignment Phase

• Working groups are able to follow up with relevant enabling stakeholders thanks to effective communication channels;

• Continuous monitoring by working groups advocates for the implementation of the recommendations.

Outcomes

• Improved knowledge through joint production and/or assessment of evidence.

• Stronger working bonds among a selected number of (specialised) participants.

• Timely delivery of inputs for the dialogue process.

• Specific outcomes related to the mission of each working group in the form of policy documents (draft PPA, draft Roadmap for Reform, etc.) to be submitted and endorsed by all the stakeholders involved.