Country Dialogues

IPD's Country Dialogue programs provide support government officials and their citizens in exploring economic policy alternatives in an open and inclusive manner. In cooperation with in-country partners, IPD convenes forums that bring together diverse stakeholders representing senior levels of government, political parties, civil society organizations, academia, think tanks, the business community and the media. These forums serve to broaden the policy debate through the introduction of policy alternatives and the evaluation of the trade-offs and risks associated with the range of available options. IPD Country Dialogues are also designed to act as a catalyst for inclusive discussion in the future.

IPD’s engagement is unique in that:

• our global network of experts allows enables us to present a broad spectrum of policy strategies by those with firsthand knowledge, as well as articulate the strengths and short-comings with the underlying models and provide constructive guidance tailored to the dynamics of each country
• the presentation of policy alternatives often serves to balance to extreme positions, and strengthen dialogue in support of “third way” solutions
• efforts are made to incorporate stakeholders that have been excluded from engaging in policy dialogue in the past
• Country Dialogue discussions often have a direct impact on domestic policymaking

IPD frequently utilizes members of its network when organizing Country Dialogue events. Depending on which issues are identified as priorities for the host country, IPD will bring in specialists with thematic expertise in that area. Moreover, Country Dialogue forums also often reinforce IPD’s task force activities by serving as examples that enhance the analysis of our task force work. Examples of this include discussion on pension reform in China, debt issuance in Vietnam, and resource management in Nigeria, all of which represent the kind of in-depth presentation of alternative perspectives that the task forces can use to broaden and strengthen their work.