Costa Rica

National Consultation Forum

City/State/Region
Begin – End: 1998 – 1998
Name of organization in charge: Presidencia de la Nación
Type of organization in charge: government
Level: national

Impact

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Implementation: was the innovation effectively, partially or not put into practice at all?

Fulfillment of Aims: were the goals of the innovation completely, partially or not achieved at all?

Output: has the innovation generated recommendations, initiatives, decisions or policies?

Outcome: if there were a policy output, was it enacted or implemented?

Implementation: yes
Fulfillment of Democratic Innovation’s aim: yes
Output: yes
Policy Outcome: unknown

The National Consultation Forum was convened by the incoming President in 1998, to discuss and establish a common agenda on a broad range of issues, and bringing together various sectors of society. The representatives belonged to the following organizations: the National Council of Cooperatives, the Chamber of Industries, the Costa Rican Solidarity Movement, the National Council for Indigenous Affairs, the Costa Rican Christian Youth Association and the Costa Rican Magisterial Organization, among others. The agenda proposed by the Government included issues related to the insurance market, telecommunications market, corruption, unemployment, family allowances and pensions, and social development. Also under discussion was an integral payment system for environmental services, trade union freedoms, wage policy and rural development. The Forum had a fixed term of development of less than two months, and formed several thematic commissions. From these commissions, final documents should be agreed on by the participants. It was attended by 65 delegates who were appointed by 30 organizations.

Institutional design

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Formalization: is the innovation embedded in the constitution or legislation, in an administrative act, or not formalized at all?

Frequency: how often does the innovation take place: only once, sporadically, or is it permanent or regular?

Mode of Selection of Participants: is the innovation open to all participants, access is restricted to some kind of condition, or both methods apply?

Type of participants: those who participate are individual citizens, civil society organizations, private stakeholders or a combination of those?

Decisiveness: does the innovation takes binding, non-binding or no decision at all?

Co-governance: is there involvement of the government in the process or not?

Formalization: only backed by a governmental program or policy
Frequency: single
Mode of selection of participants: restricted
Type of participants: civil society private stakeholders
Decisiveness: democratic innovation yields a non-binding decision
Co-Governance: yes

Means

Deliberation
Direct Voting
E-Participation
Citizen Representation

Ends

Accountability
Responsiveness
Rule of Law
Political Inclusion
Social Equality

Policy cycle

Agenda setting

Formulation and decision-making

Implementation

Policy Evaluation