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Democratic Governance: Delivering on Democracy |
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The Institute for Representative Government (IRG), in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), is organizing a study mission to Washington, DC for Bolivian, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Venezuelan legislators. From October 16 to 23, 2005, the legislators will exchange experiences about the role of legislatures in democratic reform and development policy. Participants will meet with members of Congress and other federal policymakers, as well as representatives of development agencies and organizations concentrating on democracy and development issues. In 2004, with support from the British Department for International Development (DFID), NDI examined the role of political parties and elected officials in national reform such as poverty reduction in Bolivia and Peru. While the findings of these studies were country-specific, the need for active political management of reform processes was common to both countries and remains a challenge for the entire region. Based on these findings, this study mission will focus on tools for effective political and legislative management of reform processes, including: effective use of oversight, ability to debate and formulate policy, public outreach to generate public support for reform, and methods of maintaining political commitment to reform through negotiations. History of NDI-IRG Study Missions IRG is a nonprofit, bipartisan, educational organization established by former members of Congress in 1988 for the purpose of providing visiting legislators from developing democracies greater exposure to the American federal political system at the national and state levels. IRG's Board of Directors is comprised of six former members of Congress, equally representing both the Democratic and Republican parties, and the Institute receives its annual funding through a Congressional earmark in the budget of the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In its 17 years of service, IRG has conducted more than 50 programs for over 520 foreign legislators and officials from all over the world. In 2003, IRG entered into a strategic partnership with the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute to leverage the extensive worldwide presence and expertise of the two political party institutes. This partnership helps to ensure that IRG's study missions are carefully conceptualized, with a nuanced understanding of the local political context. To date, NDI has conducted three IRG study tours, selecting participants from Turkey, Indonesia, and Jordan; organized and conducted the missions; and ensured participants have access to appropriate programmatic support through NDI country offices after the completion of their study tour. Contact Information For more information, please contact: Alison Paul, Program Officer apaul@ndi.org Updated October 2005 << BACK |