Building on almost a decade of assisting domestic
reforms, in 1999 CSD started a transformation process turning it
into a regional focal point for socio-economic analysis and policy
advice in Southeast Europe (SEE). There are three building blocks
in this process:
Human Capital Dimension. CSD has been pooling
together a critical mass of professionals in the area of
socio-economic analysis capable of addressing complex research
tasks concerning the development of the region as a whole. CSD will
place a special emphasis on the professional advancement of young
researchers, which would ensure a smooth transition between
different generations of experts.
Merging Analytical Capacity with IT. CSD, in
cooperation with its partner organization in this area – the
Applied Research and Communications Fund - has been upgrading its
communication infrastructure ensuring an easy access to the global
information resources, and refocusing its research efforts to
address the problems of the emerging Internet economy. CSD’s
understanding of this topic is that the rules of this new economy
could be utilized to accelerate the socio-economic development of
SEE countries and allow their successful integration into the
European social and economic fabric.
Networking Capabilities. In 1999 CSD has been
working towards the creation of a network of socio-economic
research centers in SEE which will work in close cooperation,
coordinate research agendas, exchange experts and staff and be
involved — either bilaterally or multilaterally — in the analysis
of crucial development problems confronting their countries.
Establishing Alliances for Transition
CSD was established at a time when hopes for a
radical break with the communist past were running high. Soon it
became clear that the transition will take both time and
vision.
The desired result was not just public policy reform
but a fundamental institutional change in society, politics and
economy. Traditional approaches were, therefore, inadequate. In a
context of profound transformation of institutions and attitudes,
it was necessary to find mechanisms that will help root out vested
interests and ensure public support. Building unusual alliances
turned out to be one of them, probably the most successful one.
A society in transition needs unconventional
mechanisms to reform itself – after all, it is old convention that
has to be transformed. Thus CSD’s “building bridges” mission
emerged as a natural consequence of an organization whose
independence and capacity were widely recognized. When back in 1997
discussions began with local and international partners, notably
USAID-Bulgaria, about the possibility of launching an
anti-corruption initiative in Bulgaria, CSD decided to look back on
the most successful models of work it had employed thus far. Even a
cursory review showed that reform issues were tackled most
effectively when the Center had managed to bring together the key
supporters of reform – institutions, persons, media.
Made possible by CSD’s political, institutional and
financial independence, this mediating role soon brought widespread
recognition. The ease with which Coalition 2000 took off the
ground confirmed that there had been a pressing need for a
mediator, a “neutral ground” where the institutions of the
executive, legislative and judicial powers, the private sector and
civil society could meet and work out joint solutions. The
Coalition became the institutionalization of an approach which CSD
had been testing and applying since it was established at the end
of 1989.
1999 was the year during which almost 10 years of
experience in building partnerships for reform came to real
fruition. Already Secretariat to a major collaborative effort –
Coalition 2000 – last year the Center applied this reform
model successfully in two other areas – judicial reform and
corporate governance. In both cases, the Center, through years of
collaboration with Bulgaria’s leading policy makers and experts,
managed to involve the key stakeholders in those sectors.
Sofia, February 2000 Dr. Ognian
Shentov
CSD President
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