KNOCA BRIEFING No. 8
How to embed recommendations within the public administration?
Frederik Langkjær, Project Manager, The Danish Board of Technology Foundation
Graham Smith, Professor of Politics, University of Westminister
September, 2023
Key Insights
- How public administrations and other institutions and stakeholders can best organise their follow-up to the recommendations of climate assemblies has not received the same level of attention as how to organise and support effective citizen engagement within assemblies.
- This lack of understanding of how to design and implement follow-up has had a material effect on the translation of Assembly recommendations into the policy making process.
- Some assemblies – for example, Scotland’s Climate Assembly – have put significant resources into follow-up but still had problems landing Assembly recommendations over the long term.
- Making sure that political support and administrative structures are in place with clear lines of responsibility and accountability is critical.
- Members are often the best advocate for their recommendations and thus should have a clear role (with capacity building support) in the follow-up process.
Recommendations
- More detailed guidance is needed on how to design the follow-up to assemblies within public administrations.
- Commissioners and organisers of assemblies need to put as much effort and resources into designing and implementing follow-up as they do on citizen engagement within the Assembly.
- Follow-up needs to involve both process and policy experts from public administrations and civil society and clear roles for different political institutions and stakeholders.
- Political support is required for defined follow-up structures and processes that remain in place for at least two years after the Assembly.
- Regular moments of accountability and monitoring are needed to ensure better integration of Assembly recommendations.