Skip to content
Article Article October 11th, 2017
Legitimacy

Introducing the Finding Legitimacy regional champions

Article highlights


Meet the @CPI_Foundation #FindingLegitimacy regional champions

Share article

Asking how governments can strengthen legitimacy has rarely been so crucial #FindingLegitimacy

Share article

With #FindingLegitimacy we are aiming to break out of the echo chambers

Share article

Partnering for Learning

We put our vision for government into practice through learning partner projects that align with our values and help reimagine government so that it works for everyone.

Partner with us

There has rarely been such a crucial time to be asking how governments can maintain and strengthen legitimacy.

That's why the Centre for Public Impact is working with this group of Legitimacy Champions from around the world. They will be bringing together diverse groups of people - from taxi drivers to senior civil servants,  experienced journalists to teenagers - in order to gain a better understanding of what legitimacy means to people across the world today;  how legitimacy looks and feels when it works well at all levels of government; and what case studies might offer examples of best practice.  From these conversations and insights, we will collate views and ideas from citizens about what legitimacy means in the 21st Century.

MEXICO 

Constanza Gomez Mont and Claudia Del Pozo, C Minds by PIDES

 

C Minds by PIDES is an impact innovation agency that designs strategies for inclusive economic and social development by cultivating cross-sector collaboration and leveraging the use of new technologies. During our nine years of experience, we have been striving to help governments and citizens accelerate the new paradigm of open governance.

We have been working closely with governments and institutions in developing countries, promoting new ways to improve citizen/government collaboration in fields like urban mobility, health, climate change, entrepreneurship and security. We strive to empower local actors to be at the forefront of public innovation and we are committed to pushing forward the conversation regarding the meaning and impact of open governance in days of disruptive technological changes and social paradigm shifts.

This is why we are honored to have been selected as the Mexican Champions for Finding Legitimacy. We hope to strengthen the global peer-to-peer network that has been created for this initiative by contributing case studies, experience and lessons learned from the Mexican ecosystem and to learn from other countries. At C Minds by PIDES, we believe that conversations like these will empower decision-makers across the world to collectively redefine what government legitimacy means in the 21st Century.

Learn more

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

**********

LONDON 

Richard Parkes, Young Lambeth Co-op

Young Lambeth Coop (YLC) has a contract from Lambeth Council to strategically coordinate and commission Lambeth's youth and play service in co-production with young people. As such we are very keen to support integration between services to give rise to better user journeys, leading to better outcomes for young people and we aim to grow their voice and influence.

We do this by running a programme of Young Commissioner and Young Assessor training, by supporting young people to access services with which they would not usually engage, and by supporting the development and coordination of Youth Forums. All the work we fund supports young people towards their primary chosen outcome of improved emotional health and wellbeing. Crucial to all our activities is the engagement of young people in decision making and being accountable to their wants.

Crucial to all our activities is the engagement of young people in decision making and being accountable to their wants, needs and aspirations. Therefore, young people participate in our governance by being members of our steering group and Board. We are committed to Finding Legitimacy as we believe we will learn much both locally and internationally about young people's perception of decision makers, and our young members will develop their understanding of how their voice can influence government.

Learn more

Facebook 

Instagram

Twitter

**********

INDIA 

Aparajita Bharti and Rohit Kumar, Young Leaders for Active Citizenship

 

We founded Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in 2016 to create transformative learning experiences that build the capacity of young people to lead change in society.

In a world where conventional education is giving way to learner-centred pedagogies and outcomes-oriented approaches, YLAC's programs help participants broaden their perspective, hone their leadership styles and engage with elected representatives through policy research and advocacy. YLAC currently runs two flagship initiatives, the ‘High School Achievers' program for teenagers and the ‘Policy in Action' program for university students and young professionals, across three cities in India.

We are very excited to host Finding Legitimacy in India. While introducing young people to public policy in our work, we stress the need for building public support for proposed policy solutions. We feel that this directly relates to whether a policy change is perceived as a ‘legitimate' government action. Simply having a majority in Parliament doesn't lead to a perception of legitimacy in modern democracies; a lot more goes into building a ‘reservoir of public support'. We are excited to explore what legitimacy means to different groups of people in society and how that translates to their response towards various government actions.

Learn more

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

**********

CANADA 

Rhonda Moore and Allan Clarke, Public Policy Forum

 

The Public Policy Forum works with all levels of government and the public service, the private sector, civil society and Indigenous groups to improve policy outcomes for Canadians.

As a non-partisan, member-based organisation, the Forum works from “inclusion to conclusion” by convening discussions on fundamental policy issues and by identifying new paths forward. Since 1987, the Public Policy Forum has broken down barriers among sectors, contributing to meaningful change that builds a better Canada.

In 2017, the PPF launched an Indigenous Policy Institute. In the tradition of the Public Policy Forum, this will be a place of inclusive deliberation that operates without fear or favour. It will focus on good governance, jurisdiction, institutional development, inclusive growth and the economic and social determinants of healthy people and communities. It will serve as a neutral, collaborative platform, bringing together leading thinkers, doers and deciders from across sectors to explore new governance and policy frameworks that can build a solid foundation for reconciliation in Canada.

Before people in Canada can achieve reconciliation, we must first have legitimacy, trust and mutual respect. Allan Clarke and Rhonda Moore look forward to collaborating with the CPI to explore this important topic with Indigenous youth in Canada.

Learn more

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

YouTube

**********

SINGAPORE 

Nadine Smith, Centre for Public Impact 

I took the Finding Legitimacy conversation to GovInsider's Innovation Labs World conference in Singapore, in September 2017. This is a gathering for decision makers from all over south-east Asia, discussing innovation and technology in policy and public services.

I hosted a seminar that included seminar Dato' Lokman Hakim Bin Ali and Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Anir Chowdhury, as well as a discussion over breakfast with a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme. We asked about the cultural norms that shape legitimacy.

For instance, does legitimacy come from the provision of economic security, as well as enabling participation? Does it result from particular institutions and historical experience? Do people need to feel government represents society? Their responses were fascinating - from being there at times of crisis (such as in Mexico) to really working with people to articulate and work towards implementing an inclusive vision for a country.

Throughout all my meetings there, however, two things came out very strongly: a need for more empathy from governments and for civil servants and leaders to listen more. Communications can feel very sterile and engagement can feel very ad hoc. Being human is the first basic need for all governments when it comes to building relationships and in this day of digital communications and fast-paced change - relationships are what matter if policies are to have the best chance of success and to secure that all-important legitimacy.

Learn more

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

**********

BRUSSELS 

Leonardo Quattrucci, Special Guest Moderator

Leonardo Quattrucci is Policy Assistant to the Director-General of the European Political Strategy Centre, the European Commission's in-house Think Tank. Specialising in the future of work and institutional innovation, he is also a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, as well as a Fellow at the Aspen Institute Italia and at the Centre for the Governance of Change, IE School of International Relations.

In 2016, Leonardo was nominated by Forbes Magazine among the 30 Under 30 ‘top young leaders' in European policy (inaugural cohort). He currently sits on the board of the Homo Ex Machina Foundation, which uses technology to bridge generational divides, and of the Fourth Sector Initiative, which aims to build a better ecosystem for social entrepreneurship globally.

We are delighted to introduce Leonardo Quattrucci as a special guest moderator. What is legitimacy in the 21st century? How do people and institutions express it and perceive it? How do we strengthen it? Leonardo will gather insights from public, private and civic leaders in Brussels to seek answers to such questions.

Learn more

Linkedin

Twitter

**********

Written by:

Lena Kuenkel Director, Europe
View biography
Share this article: