Developing and Implementing Public Policy

Northern Ireland: Comparative Experiences of Policy Making and Implementation in Countries in Transition

A workshop organised by CSVR and INCORE - Derry/Londonderry

6-7 February 2001

DAY 1 TUESDAY - 6 FEBRUARY 2001 - Beechill Country House Hotel, Derry/Londonderry

REGISTRATION AND COFFEE FROM 10.30

11.00 WELCOME AND OPENING PANEL

Welcome - Mari Fitzduff, INCORE
Developing and Implementing Public Policy in Northern Ireland and South Africa - Brandon Hamber, CSVR; Helen Brocklehurst, INCORE Policy Making in Transition: Challenges and Comparisons from South Africa - Roelf Meyer, Civil Society Initiative, Tip O ' Neill Chair
Policy Making in Transition: Experiences from Northern Ireland - Jeremy Harbison, Department for Social Development
Chair: Gillian Robinson, INCORE

12.30 Lunch

13.30 SESSION ONE: POLICY MAKERS AND POLICY MAKING FORUMS

Civic Society - Keith Cradden, The NI Civic Forum
NGOs - Martin O' Brien, CAJ
Commissions - Christine Bell, University of Ulster
Lobbying - Quintin Oliver, Stratagem
Civil Society and Policy Making - Billy Stevenson, Victims Liaison Unit
Chair: Cheyanne Church, INCORE
Discussant -Dominic Bryan, Queen's University Belfast

15.30 Coffee

16.00 SESSION TWO: METHODS AND MAKING COMPARISONS

Making Comparisons - Oliver Wilkinson, Victim Support
Challenges to Influencing Policy - Marie Smyth, CCIC
Comparative Approaches to Human Rights - Brice Dickson, Human Rights Commission
Chair - Stephen Donnelly, OFM/DFM
Discussant - Adrian Guelke, Queen's University Belfast

18.00 End of Session 2

19.00 Drinks reception

Guest Speaker: Post Conflict Policy Challenges Mrs Nuala O'Loan, Police Ombudsman

20.00 Dinner

 

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DAY 2

WEDNESDAY - 7 FEBRUARY 2001 - INCORE: Aberfoyle House, Derry/Londonderry

09.30 SESSION THREE - TRANSITION: POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND DELIVERY

Relating Action to Policy - Avila Kilmurray, NIVT
Experiences from Northern Ireland - Tony McCusker, OFM/DFM
Chair - Paddy Hillyard, University of Ulster
Discussant - Elizabeth Meehan, Queen's University Belfast

11.00 Coffee

11.30 SESSION FOUR - LESSON DRAWING AND POLICY TRANSFER: MOTIVATIONS

Policy from abroad - David Dolowitz, Liverpool University
Experiences from Northern Ireland and beyond - lesson drawing and peace process - John Darby, INCORE
Chair -Ed Page, ESRC

12.30 Lunch and Reception

Welcome to Roelf Meyer as TIP O' NEILL Chair 2001

14.00 SESSION FIVE - FUTURE CHALLENGES TO POLICY MAKING IN COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION

Ronnie Spence, DRD
Brandon Hamber CSVR
Noel Stott CSVR
Chair - Paul Arthur, University of Ulster

15.30 Close of conference

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Developing and Implementing Public Policy in Northern Ireland and South Africa:

The is the second workshop held by INCORE and CSVR* as part of their research project on Developing and Implementing Public Policy in Northern Ireland and South Africa, funded by the Future Governance Research Programme of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The project explores issues critical to successful policy making in these jurisdictions, from initiation and development to implementation. Two policy areas that are typically subject to reform during transition from political violence have been selected for more detailed analysis: victims policy and policing. The project will map out dynamics of policy making, critically analyse the motivations and scope for lesson drawing between countries and illustrate challenges faced in the context of transition. Reasons for policy successes (and failures) are being identified through in-depth interviews with up to 50 key stakeholders in each country, and feedback from these two international workshops. Two academic publications and a report on comparative experiences of policy-making and examples of best practice will be produced.

Themes and issues that are being explored throughout the project are:

Policy making: the co-ordination and liaison of policy communities, the participation of civic groups, the skills of politicians, the importance of change agents and resources.

Transition: Does transition create particular constraints on policy makers - time factors, high expectations, change management stresses, the need for new policy development skills, stretched resources.? Is transition ever used as an 'excuse' or is it a window of opportunity? Can countries in transition learn from these experiences elsewhere?

Lesson drawing: What lessons about policies and policy making are taken from abroad? What are the motivations for learning from particular countries and how is it best achieved? Is learning from abroad also at the cost of learning from closer to home?

Research and Methodology: How can policy makers maximise learning from theory and practice. What is relevant research and who produces it?

Project Team:

Mari Fitzduff - Director, INCORE
Gillian Robinson - Research Director, INCORE
Helen Brocklehurst - Research Officer, INCORE
Graeme Simpson - Director, CSVR
Brandon Hamber - Co-ordinator CSVR
Noel Stott - Research Officer, CSVR