Dialogando BA – Knowledge, participation and consensus in the co-creation of public policies

by Marina Lacalle

One of the greatest challenges that governments face during the decision-making process is reaching consensus. It is challenging because it involves the participation of many stakeholders. One of the government’s main flaws has been its inability to reconcile the interests of all the participating sectors. In this context, we created Dialogando BA, an initiative whose main goal is to provide a space for dialogue, debate and exchange of ideas among the government, across the entire political spectrum, academia and civil society.

This program is innovative because the outcomes of these forums are used as input when designing public policies, providing legitimacy to the decisions, and therefore strengthening institutional quality.

This open government tool has paved the way for drafting and passing several bills in the city of Buenos Aires, as well as for reaching agreements among actors across the political spectrum.