Influence of Civil Society Organizations on Improvement of Political Dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to show how civil society organizations contribute to the reform of public administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the establishment of political dialogue. The survey was conducted at the local, cantonal, entity and state level on a representative and stratified sample (10% - according to the statistical method). A total of 62 respondents took part, including activists from civil sector organizations as well as employees of state administration bodies. One of the main assumptions of the research axis is how civil society organizations will contribute to the reform of public administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the establishment of political dialogue. This paper provides an overview and theoretical analysis of civil society organizations as well as the most important public policies advocated by them. In addition, a comparison of public policies and their practical application in neighboring countries as well as in the countries of the European Union was made. The research problem is reflected in looking at the started process of transformation and the unfinished process of transition of Bosnian civil sector organizations, which have been significantly active in the recent period, especially in the field of environmental and social public policies. The subject of this research reflects on the role and importance as well as the influence of civil society organizations on the processes of adopting public policies as well as on the correlation with state authorities. The key issues investigated in this paper are the importance of implementing the Agreement on Cooperation between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and civil society organizations and the importance of including civil society organizations in the early stages of identifying problems and defining priorities. In addition, special attention was paid to the importance of political dialogue in defining the strategic direction of the development of public administration reform and the importance of establishing special institutional mechanisms for cooperation with civil society organizations, such as offices, agencies or departments for cooperation with organizations.