CADAL Participates in Think Tank Workshop

Through case studies of Atlas Network partner organizations, group activities, and lectures by experts in the think tank movement, the workshop participants learned about the strategies and tools that increase civil society organizations’ impact on public policy reform. With these new skills, the participants hope to influence the key policy issues that are critical to their country’s future.

Two of CADAL’s young collaborators, Diana Arévalo and Eric Grosembacher, participated in the Interim Latin American Think Tank Workshop, held at the Brick Hotel in Buenos Aires from April 30 to May 2, 2017.

The workshop addressed the following questions: What is the role of think tanks in public policy discussions? As a think tank, should we be proactive or only reactive to existing discussions? What strategies should a think tank use for drafting legislation and ensuring its success? How can one look for support within the government – both within the legislative and executive branches – so as to promote public policy reform? In trying to impact public policy, should one act only through Congress, or are there channels for working directly with the executive branch in the implementation of public policies? How can an organization work with the media to ensure compliance policies? How can an organization integrate itself into executive committees or Congress to educate legislators and others involved in policy?

At the workshop, representatives from CADAL presented the institution’s initiative that seek to implement the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) in Argentina’s provinces. The BTI analyzes and evaluates the quality of democracy, market economy, and good governance on a biannual basis for 129 countries that are on paths of development and transformation. Since 2014, CADAL holds an agreement with the Bertelsmann Foundation that permits the translation of several of the BTI chapters into Spanish and allows CADAL to present it at the Foro Latino Global.