Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
proceed with support from political and administrative bodies that have been democratically
elected. Second, it is important to have a catalyst in the initial stages that
helps the initiative get off the ground by encouraging participation from the various
actors. Finally, there must be adequate legislative frameworks to enable the creation
of civil society organisations capable of participating actively in the initiative.
To recap, this initiative involved a push for primary and secondary education, social
mobilization, and community-based development of agriculture and local aquaculture.
All of these can be replicated in other poor regions without requiring the introduction
of overly sophisticated methods.
Lessons Learned
The development programme for the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area decisively
promoted the creation of new institutions to improve the traditional economic,
social and political climate. The impact of the introduction of these new systems and
mechanisms for participation includes, primarily, the reduction of malnutrition and
poverty. If the impact is measured quantitatively, the increase in the number of opportunities
for access to education is most noteworthy. Qualitatively, the value of that
education is evident in its relevance to the modes of production, the establishment of
teaching associations and the availability of professional education in related technical
fields. Citizenship education has been another worthwhile outcome of public participation
in community development.
One lesson is that isolated and fragmented actions to improve the socio-economic environment
do not produce positive results. They must be integrated into a coherent and
organic system. Another lesson is that legislation and administrative instruments are
not sufficient to accelerate development if the beneficiary community is not involved in
the process. Also, facilitating active public participation in decision-making processes
is effective in accelerating cultural changes in the population. However, these changes
take time, and involving young people is central to long-term effectiveness.
Contact Information
Fausto Antonio de Azevedo
Coordinator, Associação Guardia da APA do Pratigi,
Organización de la Sociedad Civil de Interés Público
Portal da APA do Pratigi, Km 06 da Estrada Parque da Cidadania, BR 101, km 386
Ibirapitanga, Bahia CEP: 45,500,000
Brazil
Telephone: Tel: 55 073 9944.5039
E-mail: fausto@pratigi.o
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