Open government reforms: The challenge of making public consultations meaningful in Croatia

A strong dialogue between government and civil society provides a sound foundation for open government reforms in Croatia. The adoption and implementation of commitments aimed at strengthening public consultations in policy-making responds to long-term priorities of both government and civil society. There is visible progress in citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, as well as in the number of public consultations held and comments received. However, the overall level of public involvement is still low and the impact on the quality of laws and regulations remains unclear. The number and quality of public consultations varies significantly across state institutions, but it is very low at the sub-nationalRecognizing that much of what impacts people’s daily lives occurs at the local level, many OGP countries are working to open up lower levels of government by creating commitments focused on subnatio... level. Limited administrative capacity, compounded by a prolonged economic crisis, political and bureaucratic legacies, the low costs of not implementing consultations, and limited citizen awareness about consultation mechanisms, explain these shortcomings.

Open government reforms: The challenge of making public consultations meaningful in Croatia