2.4. Role of Civil Society in Policy Formulation and Implementation

♤ Post-Independence till 1980s, the state had taken upon itself to formulate, implement and evaluate social sector policies.

♤ However, after of globalization and liberalization, two processes unfolded. One, the role of the State began to change and get more complex, and two, there began far greater scrutiny of public policy from the ground.

♤ Attention shifted to questions of appropriate policies and structures, processes for policy formulation, improving the competence of policymakers and evaluating policy outcomes.

♤ This made state look for collaborations outside state. They opened up ’policymaking to non- State actors, for it entailed re-conceptualization of governance—from a centralized, hierarchical and top-down traditional model of government, to a more collaborative, horizontal structure, and a non-hierarchical setting, that had to be now based on networking, negotiation and lobbying.

♤ This was based on a model of partnerships or networked governance wherein the relationship between government and non-government, comprising market and civil society, became the core thrust in the making of policies and delivery of public goods.

♤ To facilitate government-business policy networking, a plethora of new institutional arrangements has emerged over the past decade. Like Council on Trade and Industry within the Prime Minister’s Office and the Board of Trade in the Ministry of Commerce.

♤ Notably, in most of these councils and boards, there is no representation of trade unions, Labour federations or civil society organizations. By and large, in these emerging policy networks formal mechanisms or spaces for involvement of civil society have been few and far between.

♤ This is hardly surprising, given the critique of the neo-liberal framework from sections of civil society, and the unease that has been the hallmark of State- civil society relations in India where the State has towered and civil society remained at the margins.

♤ However, a few institutions, such as the National Advisory Council (NAC), have surfaced, which facilitate government-civil society networking. The NAC has played a critical role in bringing in legislations such as Right to Information, Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), among others.

♤ Increasingly, there is a visible change in the government’s approach to formally involve civil society actors in policy networks. This trend is evident in all the flagship programmes of the government, be it the MNREGA, or as reflected in the National Voluntary Sector Policy 2011, which outlines an ambitious plan of the government to engage developmental civil society at multiple levels, from policy formulation to implementation and monitoring.

♤ In addition to this, implementation of the 73rd Amendment Act and the arrival of Panchayati Raj Institutions too drove the State to actively seek partnership with civil society actors.