Workshop on Good Governance and Behavioural Change

Background:

This workshop was initiated and funded by the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) and organised by IDP. CDI has been engaged in Cambodia since 1999 when it conducted a national workshop to commence the process of drafting Cambodia’s National Anti-Corruption Action Plan. CDI has also conducted training in how to report on treaties e.g. on the various Human Rights treaties, and it has also organised study tours for Parliamentarians and Officials from the Cambodian Parliament to Australia.

The workshop brought together 40 representatives from Government, the NGO community, the private sector, donors, multilateral agencies, bilateral projects and also several international consultants working in advisory positions to the Royal Government of Cambodia. Within the context of good governance, the focus was on mechanisms that can bring about behavioural change. There were six presentations on such mechanisms, and one short update on a survey being undertaken in Cambodia at the time of the workshop, related to the Corruption Perceptions Index and potential future inclusion of Cambodia in that index.

The Case Studies:

We chose case studies that each manifested two or three key mechanisms that had successfully brought about behavioural change.Case study summaries We felt these case studies used mechanisms that could be applied in other contexts. We chose projects with different key mechanisms so as to highlight a variety of approaches. Matrix with key mechanisms There was considerable overlap in the sub-mechanisms used in each case study, and this demonstrates a universality of approach in projects aiming to change behaviour. List of sub-mechanisms

Observations and Conclusions from the Workshop:

This workshop was conducted in the context of Cambodia increasingly engaging with the international community and facing the challenges of catching up with its neighbours after years of internal problems. All the presentations in the workshop reflected the dynamic of a changing international environment as well as the challenges Cambodia is facing to adapt and make itself competitive in this environment. There has been much domestic debate about government policies and laws, and yet the national changes required for Cambodia to progress require a critical mass of people to change their behaviour.

Almost every presentation and discussion reflected the problem that laws by themselves are not working in Cambodia. Behavioural change is a vast field, and this workshop approached it by critically examining a few strategic areas where some key mechanisms have resulted in change. All such changes were related to supporting the legal framework, and many of the mechanisms have the potential to be used in other contexts.

There was clearly an overlap in the ‘sub-mechanisms’ used by the various projects to bring about behavioural change. All involved the following features: ownership by the parties whose behaviour was being asked to change; trust in the system that facilitates the change i.e. parties gravitate towards a working system of rules in which they have some confidence and thus adapt their behaviour accordingly; discussing the reality i.e. not hiding from reality for those with the problems but coming together face-to-face and talking about the behaviour problems as a first step towards modifying the behaviour; self-interest; i.e. people will respond to what they perceive is in their self-interest and education can greatly broaden their view of what behaviour is in their self-interest, and; combined international and domestic pressure for change, for example where international norms motivate domestic agents to instigate processes of behavioural change.

Finally the workshop reflected concern about corruption and a conviction that corruption is an area of behaviour that requires change throughout society as both the actors in active and passive corruption need to be motivated to change existing patterns of behaviour.

Workshop on Good Governance and Behavioural Change

Background:

The Case Studies:

Observations and Conclusions from the Workshop:

Other documents related to this workshop include the following:

Powerpoint presentations from the workshop: