The Global Network of Government Innovators Latin American Regional Forum: Democratic Practices, Public Decisions, and Citizenship was held in Monterrey, Mexico from August 30-31, 2007. Government officials, academics and civil society representatives convened to address issues of civic participation and democracy in Latin America.

Each of the following documents was prepared by a conference participant and adds to the body of knowledge geared towards improving Latin America’s democratic future. The materials correspond to the four main topics of the forum: Rethinking Democracy in Latin America, Public Spaces and Democracy, Citizenship and Social Accountability, and Creating Public Value and Citizen Participation through Social Management.

To view a document containg all the papers of the Forum in Spanish, click here.

The forum was jointly sponsored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University and the Graduate School of Public Administration and Public Policy (EGAP) of Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM).

For an agenda with dates and times, click here.

Keynote Address

Innovation and Democratic Governance:  Great Expectations and Cautionary Tales
Merilee S. Grindle, Kennedy School of Government and David Rockefeller Center for  Latin American Studies, Harvard University 

Panel 1: Rethinking Democracies in Latin America
What forms does democracy take in Latin America?

Setting the Context
Manuel Antonio Garretón, University of Chile  

Innovators
Michel Azcueta, Villa El Salvador, Peru
Jorge Vargas Cullell, The Citizen Audit, Costa Rica
Clara Jusidman, President of Incide Social A.C., Mexico

Panel 2: Public Spaces and Democracy
What are the new public spaces in democracy?

Setting the Context
Alberto Olvera Rivera, Institute of Socio-historical Research, Veracruzana University, Mexico

Innovators
Luiz Antônio Proença, Participatory Budgeting, Brazil
Greg Neudecker, Montana Partners for Fish and Wildlife, USA
Diana Trujillo-Cárdenas, Organizations for Development and Peace, Colombia

Keynote Address

Democracy as a Project: The Strange Career of Political Participation in the United States
Alexander Keyssar, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Panel 3: Citizenship and Social Accountability
How can citizens hold political parties and public officials accountable?

Setting the Context
Ernesto Isunza Vera, Gulf Unit of the Center for Research and Higher Education in Social Anthropology (CIESAS-Golfo), Mexico

Innovators
Marcelo Ugo, Social Citizenship Initiative, Argentina
José Bautista Farías, Jalisco Collective of Organizations to Empower Citizens (PCJ), Mexico
Cindy Carlson, Youth Civic Engagement Project, USA

Panel 4: Creating Public Value and Citizen Participation  through Social Management
How can Social Management most effectively create citizen involvement and strengthen democracy?What are the best methods for creating public value through Social Management?

Setting the Context
Karen Mokate, Inter-American Institute for Social Development (INDES), Inter-American Development Bank.

Innovators
Rogelio Gómez Hermosillo, Oportunidades, Mexico
Gaston Garatea Yori, The Consensus-Building Roundtable for the Fight against Poverty, Peru
Guadalupe Rodríguez Martínez, Child Development Centers, Mexico