Civil Society National Strategy (DK0058)

What is the public problem that the commitment will address?: The Government intends to work to create the optimal framework for private organisations and volunteers to engage in sharing responsibility with the Gov-ernment. On this basis, the commitment aims to support the Government’s objective regarding social mobility by ensuring that more people living on the fringe of society’s communities become active citizens who contribute to their local communities – for example through volunteering. Also, the Government’s civil society strategy aims to underpin the ambition of the cohesion reform to support an ambitious and innovative public sector that creates welfare for the citizens through better collaboration between the public sector and civil society.; What is the commit-ment?: The commitment will be implemented based on input from a task force consisting of central players from civil society, local governments, the business community and trade unions. The recommendations of the task force, which were submitted to the Government on 14 September 2017, will form part of the work on the strategy for a stronger civil society. The task force’s mandate contained five tracks: Track 1: The value of volunteering This track aims to investigate the social value of volunteering in relation to the public initiatives in one or more projects, e.g. on the basis of a social issue and through partnerships with for example local governments and foundations. In addition, organisational and collaboration models can be developed for collabo-rate on solving welfare challenges, particularly targeting citizens on the fringe of society. Track 2: Participation and community This track will contain specific initiatives to underpin the Government’s objective of making more citizens outside the working community and with no education volunteer. Track 3: Economy This track can involve a study of how to ensure a more targeted use of funds in the sector, including removing barriers to the current economic support structure for voluntary social work and support acquiring knowledge and gathering evi-dence about the effects of volunteering. Track 4: Infrastructure This track can include initiatives that aim to improve the infrastructure in the voluntary sector, including e.g. supporting volunteering locally and civil society’s representation in relation to national political representation and locally in the local governments. Track 5: Research and knowledge It is proposed to earmark funds for strengthening the knowledge base about and inside civil society. Focus can be on civil society’s own needs for knowledge about its own initiatives by facilitating evaluation models that are easy to imple-ment or other methods for showing the change brought about by volunteering; How will the com-mitment contribute to solve the public problem?: As a result of the civil society strategy, it is expected that more citizens on the fringe of society’s communities, who may find themselves outside the working community and without an education, will volunteer and that the establishment of more sustainable relations can pave the way for a positive development where citizens get a chance to take greater responsibility for their own lives. The devel-opment will also be ensured through an upgrade of competences of local volun-tary social work, which will support the establishment of sustainable, diverse, local, volunteering communities. At the same time, the commitment aims to underpin the ambition of the cohesion reform to support an ambitious and innovative public sector that creates welfare for the citizens through better collaboration between the public sector and civil society; Why is this com-mitment relevant to OGP values?: The civil society strategy is consistent with OGP values as the strategy aims to strengthen collaboration between the public sector and civil society. Moreover, the overarching ambition is for more citizens to participate in voluntary communi-ties, which, indirectly, will increase the opportunities of influencing decisions positively affecting a group of disadvantaged citizens.; Additional infor-mation: https://www.regeringen.dk/publikationer-og-aftaletekster/strategi-for-et-staerkere-civilsamfund/

Commitment 9: National strategy for a stronger civil society

Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:

"The commitment will be implemented based on input from a task force consisting of central players from civil society, local governments, the business community and trade unions. The recommendations of the task force, which were submitted to the Government on 14 September 2017, will form part of the work on the strategy for a stronger civil society. The task force's mandate contained five tracks:

Track 1: The value of volunteering. This track aims to investigate the social value of volunteering in relation to the public initiatives in one or more projects, e.g. on the basis of a social issue and through partnerships with for example local governments and foundations. In addition, organisational and collaboration models can be developed for collaborate on solving welfare challenges, particularly targeting citizens on the fringe of society.

Track 2: Participation and community. This track will contain specific initiatives to underpin the Government's objective of making more citizens outside the working community and with no education volunteer.

Track 3: Economy. This track can involve a study of how to ensure a more targeted use of funds in the sector, including removing barriers to the current economic support structure for voluntary social work and support acquiring knowledge and gathering evidence about the effects of volunteering.

Track 4: Infrastructure This track can include initiatives that aim to improve the infrastructure in the voluntary sector, including e.g. supporting volunteering locally and civil society's representation in relation to national political representation and locally in the local governments.

Track 5: Research and knowledge It is proposed to earmark funds for strengthening the knowledge base about and inside civil society. Focus can be on civil society's own needs for knowledge about its own initiatives by facilitating evaluation models that are easy to implement or other methods for showing the change brought about by volunteering."

Milestones:

9.1 Recommendations from the task force have been submitted to the Danish Government

9.2 Civil society strategy published

9.3 Implementation

9.4 First initiative formed

Start Date: 1 July 2017

End Date: 31 December 2021

Editorial note: For the full text of this commitment, see "The Danish OGP National Action Plan 2017–2019," Danish Agency for Digitisation, https://en.digst.dk/policy-and-strategy/open-government/open-government-partnership-ogp-action-plan/, pp. 22–23.

Context and Objectives

The government presented the civil society strategy on 9 October 2017. The strategy focused on reducing the feeling of loneliness among citizens, supportive infrastructure and knowledge exchange, and following recommendations of the Task Force on a Stronger Civil Society in September 2017. The task force consisted of representatives from civil society (e.g., volunteers, mothers, relatives of suicide victims, child care workers, youth), Local Government Denmark, the Confederation of Danish Industry, the Danish Red Cross, and Save the Children.^{[Note : "Task Forcen for et Stærkere Civilsamfund Afleverer sine Anbefalinger," Ministry of Finance and Ministry for Children and Social Affairs, 14 September 2017, https://www.regeringen.dk/nyheder/task-forcen-for-et-staerkere-civilsamfund-afleverer-sine-anbefalinger. ]}

The civil society strategy seeks to underpin the government's broader reform, which started in 2017 and is being rolled out during the fall of 2018.^{[Note : "Regeringen vil Fjerne Bøvl Og Bureuakrati For 4 Milliarder Kr," Ministry of Finance, 4 September 2018, https://www.fm.dk/nyheder/pressemeddelelser/2018/09/regeringen-vil-fjerne-boevl-og-bureaukrati-for-4-milliarder-kr. ]} This reform aims to create better collaboration between the public sector and civil society.^{[Note : "Sammenhængsreform," the Danish Government, 4 April 2017, https://www.regeringen.dk/nyheder/sammenhaengsreform/. ]} It will work toward four main themes: (a) more time for core work, (b) better welfare across sectors, (c) a timely public sector, and (d) better leadership.^{[Note : Ibid.]}

This commitment seeks to address the lack of citizen participation in local communities, for example through volunteering. In its civil society strategy, the government expects more citizens to volunteer and take responsibility for their communities. Local voluntary social work was also expected to be upgraded through sustainable local volunteering communities.

The civil society strategy is relevant to the OGP value of civic participation, as the strategy aims to improve civil society's ability to engage in local public life. The government expects citizens to have a higher degree of influence over decisions that affect their lives, particularly locally.

In terms of verifiability, the first two milestones of this initiative are clear and verifiable. (E.g., recommendations from the task force are submitted; the civil society strategy is published). The milestone on implementation is broad, however, and the milestone "First initiative formed" could be further specified.

The IRM researcher considers the potential impact of the commitment to be moderate. The initiative constitutes a major civil society strategy and an effort to improve civic participation in local and regional decision-making structures. While civil society representatives have welcomed the strategy, it does not necessarily indicate a transformative change in the behaviour between civil society and the state moving forward.

Next steps

The IRM researcher proposes the following recommendations for this commitment:

· This commitment could be carried forward into the next action plan, to gauge and build on the results achieved so far.

· The design of the commitment could be improved by increasing the specificity of the five strands of activity (and their sub-activities), while keeping the text short.

· The commitment could clearly spell out the meaning of key terms, such as "research" and "economy."

· Civil society representatives could be brought in to participate in the OGP discussions at the multi-stakeholder forum, as an example of civic engagement at the decentralised level. In line with other recommendations in this report, the voice of Local Government Denmark could be strengthened.

9. National Strategy for a Stronger Civic Society

Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:

“The commitment will be implemented based on input from a task force consisting of central players from civil society, local governments, the business community and trade unions. The recommendations of the task force, which were submitted to the Government on 14 September 2017, will form part of the work on the strategy for a stronger civil society. The task force’s mandate contained five tracks:

Track 1: The value of volunteering. This track aims to investigate the social value of volunteering in relation to the public initiatives in one or more projects, e.g. on the basis of a social issue and through partnerships with for example local governments and foundations. In addition, organisational and collaboration models can be developed for collaborate on solving welfare challenges, particularly targeting citizens on the fringe of society.

Track 2: Participation and community. This track will contain specific initiatives to underpin the Government’s objective of making more citizens outside the working community and with no education volunteer.

Track 3: Economy. This track can involve a study of how to ensure a more targeted use of funds in the sector, including removing barriers to the current economic support structure for voluntary social work and support acquiring knowledge and gathering evidence about the effects of volunteering.

Track 4: Infrastructure This track can include initiatives that aim to improve the infrastructure in the voluntary sector, including e.g. supporting volunteering locally and civil society’s representation in relation to national political representation and locally in the local governments.

Track 5: Research and knowledge It is proposed to earmark funds for strengthening the knowledge base about and inside civil society. Focus can be on civil society’s own needs for knowledge about its own initiatives by facilitating evaluation models that are easy to implement or other methods for showing the change brought about by volunteering.”

Milestones:

• Recommendations from the task force have been submitted to the Danish Government
• Civil society strategy published
• Implementation
• First initiative formed

Start Date: 1 July 2017

End Date: 31 December 2021

Editorial note: For the full text of this commitment, see “The Danish OGP National Action Plan 2017–2019,” Danish Agency for Digitisation, pp. 22–23, https://en.digst.dk/policy-and-strategy/open-government/open-government-partnership-ogp-action-plan/.

This commitment sought to address a lack of citizen participation in local communities by implementing a national civil society strategy. In its civil society strategy, the government expected more citizens to volunteer and take responsibility for their communities. Local voluntary social work was also expected to be upgraded through sustainable local volunteering communities. [32]

The government published a civil society strategy in 2017, which includes inputs and recommendations from the task force representing a broad segment of Danish civil society. [33] The implementation of the strategy is led by the Ministry of Children and Education and runs until 2021, hence this commitment’s overall completion is considered substantial. The ministry confirms that at least one initiative from the strategy has been implemented according to the commitment’s milestones. [34]

The volunteer community in Denmark is characterized by a high degree of stability due to long-standing traditions and steady support from the state. [35] As such, the strategy has so far not led to an increase in the number of active volunteers in the country. Rather, the strategy contains a noteworthy focus on improving the infrastructure of volunteerism by relaxing bureaucratic obstacles. It also supports the capacity of volunteer organizations in advocacy and volunteer management. This is seen as a valuable contribution to the capacities of civil society organizations to engage with authorities. [36] Examples of this component include restructuring the Volunteer Council [37] to include more local and diverse representation, and providing capacity-building seminars to non-governmental organizations.

The commitment constituted a noticable step towards more locally-anchored volunteerism in Denmark through a gradual restructuring of the sector. While the IRM researcher cannot assess the impact on Danish civil society, the strategy’s focus on restructuring and supporting the volunteer sector has facilitated dialogue and collaboration between local communities and national authorities. However, being a contribution to an already well-functioning and independent civil society the ‘Did it Open Government’ rating is marginal.

[32] “Denmark Design Report 2017–2019”, Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM), https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Denmark_Design-Report_2017-2019_EN.pdf.

[33] ”Strategi for et stærkere civilsamfund”, Ministry of Children and Education, October 2017, available [in Danish] at http://www.stm.dk/multimedia/2017_strategi-for-et-staerkere-civilsamfund-pdf.pdf.

[34] “End-of-term report on Denmark’s OGP Action Plan 2017-2019”, Danish Agency for Digitisation, forthcoming.

[35] Mette Hjære (Danish Center for Voluntary Effort [CSFA]), interview by IRM researcher, 28 October 2019.

[36] Nikolaj Beuschel (Ministry of Social Affairs and the Interior), interview by IRM researcher, 20 November 2019.

[37] The Volunteer Council provides strategic inputs to the government on the volunteer sector on behalf of the Danish civil society.