GCC的公众参与

© Oliver WymanINTRODUCTIONPublic engagement, a two-way conversation between government and society, has a richhistory across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, dating back to ancient times andcontinuing to the present day. One of the earliest forms of public engagement in the GCCis the Majlis, a longstanding practice dating back to before the time of Prophet Mohammed(Peace be upon him). Over the centuries, public engagement has evolved beyond thistraditional setting and has recently embraced the use of digital platforms and mechanismsincluding e-participation platforms on GCC Government websites, allowing for greateraccessibility and participation for citizens in how their countries are governed.These ‘pull platforms’ including Sharik (United Arab Emirates), Tafaul (Saudi Arabia),Sharek Hukoomi (Qatar) and Omanuna (Oman) allow individuals across the Gulf to seek outinformation or resources from government and provide input without being actively askedto do so. They are novel in this part of the world. Overall, this paper explores the benefitsthat governments, including those in the GCC, could increasingly derive from deepening theirpublic engagement, and the tools that can be leveraged when designing public policy toincrease outcomes. It will also touch upon the potential pitfalls of excluding key stakeholdersfrom the process.THE POWER OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTHistory offers numerous examples of policy failures despite seemingly good intentions.These failures often stem from a fundamental lack of understanding, both of thestakeholders directly impacted by the policies and of those whom the policies were intendedto benefit. Examples span economic policies designed to shield populations from pricefluctuations, social policies aimed at eradicating harmful behaviours, and instances wheregovernments misjudged public sentiment. The Poll Tax Riots in the UK under Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher in the late 1980s exemplify this latter point.Would this have happened if stakeholders had been engagedwith during the policy design and implementation process? © Oliver WymanThis paper posits that smart public engagement is a powerful tool for mitigating unforeseenconsequences and enhancing policy outcomes.While policymakers and the policymaking process are generally intelligent and robust, theyare inevitably human. This inherent human element introduces the possibility of biases andinconsistencies in judgement. For instance, the same person can make different decisionsbased on seemingly irrelevant factors such as the time of the day or mood.We are also not immune to common cognitive biases including over-confidence, blind spots,and group think that commonly lead to policy failure. No amount of whiteboarding of workcan eradicate these deficiencies in human nature, but including a broad range of stakeholdersin the policy design process acts as a highly effective tool to combat this, thereforeimproving outcomes.Often stakeholders are omitted due to a perceived lack of time, lack of resources, or simplybecause engagement was not considered, but the risks of governments not engagingholistically with key stakeholder groups are significant — and can be linked to societalpriorities being overlooked, implementation failing to deliver as expected, and little tono policy outcome objectives being achieved.Across the world and the GCC region we see people increasingly engaging with publicpolicy topics on social media, voicing their opinions and demanding to be heard. This isparticularly the case with the younger generations —Oliver Wyman Forum research showsthat 32% of Generation Z engage in issues through social media (68% more than othergenerations). Public engagement is proven to build trust with government, boost policyoutcomes, and avoid unforeseen outcomes by consulting and collaborating with stakeholdergroups throughout the policy design cycle, thereby giving a voice to those across society.By including and understanding a broad section of stakeholders (often from the public),priorities, and perspectives in the policy design process, governments can ensure policy isrelevant, fully explored and is communicated in a way society can understand and support.In short, good policy, well communicated, is what is called for, and public engagement isthe toolkit to achieve this.Public Engagement and Soft Power:Beyond improving policy design, public engagementserves as an important ‘soft power’ tool, fostering a closer connection between governmentsand their citizens. The very act of reaching out demostrates a government’s openness tolistening and collaborating, which significantly benefits its reputation across society. Thistangible benefit translates into increased trust and improved reputation scores, which canbe tracked quantitatively over time. © Oliver WymanGood policy can fail through poor communication, but poor policycannot be saved by strong communication. Public engagement isthe key — it ensures both the quality of the poli