The role of citizens in the policy-making process

An international seminar on the topic: “The role of citizens in the policy-making process,” jointly organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Federal Republic of Germany), took place over two days, November 6-7, 2009.

Many experts in the field of policy planning from Germany, China, Moldova, and Vietnam attended the workshop. Eleven papers were presented at the seminar.

The topics discussed at the seminar included: the role of civil society organizations and citizens in policy dialogue; the participation of civil society organizations in the policy decision-making process through consultation, critique, and social assessment; mechanisms to promote citizen participation in policy dialogue in Vietnam today; innovation and international integration with civic responsibility in policy dialogue; Moldova's national experience on public participation in lawmaking; the role of non-governmental organizations in environmental policy in Germany; and the development of civil society in policy dialogue in China.

Through discussions, delegates contributed to answering key questions: Is the role of citizens and the civil society sector increasingly important as the economic and social system shifts to a market economy? What forms of civil society are most practically meaningful in contributing to improving the quality of public service? What communication channels can the state, the market sector, and the civil society sector share concerns through, thereby maximizing public input to contribute to national policy-making? What policies does the state need to improve to encourage all citizens to contribute their opinions to policy-making?

This seminar is one of the activities under the Policy Research Project implemented at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities from 2002 to the present. The project is funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Federal Republic of Germany).