Disclosure of Recommendations to Carry Out Public Audiences to Serve as Reference for the Government (BR0056)

to disclose recommendations to carry out public audiences to serve as reference for the Government, thus improving general knowledge on the use of this instrument, as well as its quality.

Commitment 2.19. Disclosure of recommendations to carry out public audiences to serve as reference for the Government

Commitment Text: To disclose recommendations to carry out public audiences to serve as reference for the Government, thus improving general knowledge on the use of this instrument, as well as its quality.

Responsible institution: General Secretariat of the Presidency

Supporting institution: None

Start date: Not specified                          End date: 14 February 2014

Commitment aim

The commitment aimed to systematise knowledge about public meetings as an instrument of popular participation. This was to improve their quality and efficiency when used by government to engage civil society.

Status

Midterm: Completed

The Institute of Applied Economic Research (Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, IPEA) carried out a study that led to a Technical Note published in May 2013. The Technical Note addressed the principal factors influencing the effectiveness of public consultations held by the executive branch. As required by the commitment, these recommendations were disclosed and incorporated into the National Policy for Social Participation and the National Commitment to Social Participation through collaborative consultation.

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Civic participation: Did not change

The main potential contribution of the commitment was to enhance the efficiency of an important method of civic participation: public consultations. It also had the potential to improve access to information standards, by adopting as a government default the publication of written feedback for all public consultations run by the government. Although the government published a series of recommendations that were later integrated into the National Policy for Social Participation and the National Commitment to Social Participation, the new principles and guidelines for holding public hearings have not been implemented in practice by the government (even within the implementing agency’s own public consultation practices).

Carried forward?

The commitment is not included in the next action plan. Going forward, the IRM researcher suggests implementing the reference material, and adopting feedback procedures for the public to evaluate the quality of meetings, and monitor the quality of feedback received from the government.