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Description
The project is motivated by the fact that the NGOs and public sector do not have enough skills to work with multiple parties while solving problems. However, multi-stakeholder collective problem solving is a central part of participatory democracy. The final report of the Involvement and Impact Assessment Study by the Government Office (2018) states that the possibility of commenting on a draft posted in the information system is still considered sufficient for involvement by public sector organizations in Estonia. The report describes the actors in the policy-making process as “involving actors” and “involved actors” but not as equally important partners in finding solutions. Today''s practice of involvement can at best be called consultation and not substantive cooperation.
The OECD (2017) has also pointed out the same tendency in its reports, stating that almost all policy areas today are characterized by complexity – the factors influencing the various areas are intertwined and their connections cannot be fully defined. At the same time, however, NGOs and officials who should find solutions to multi-stakeholder problems do not have enough tools to manage the processes.
The project aims to increase the capacity of NGOs and state officials to design, manage, and promote participatory democracy in multi-stakeholder processes. To this end, two 8-day co-creation training programs and three web-based “co-creation sprints” will be developed and implemented. In order for co-creation to spread and take root in policy making, co-creation methodologies will be introduced to at least 150 officials in 24 workshops in co-operation with the Government Office. In co-operation with the Co-Creation Club, the nature and benefits of co-creation in promoting participatory democracy is introduced to the general public. This is planned through a series of webinars.