RESPONSIVENESS AND TRUST BUILDING

Please remember your experience when you first visited a public office  Key questions o What was your experience? o Why did you have that experience? o How are women, poor and excluded being served by the existing governance?

Responsiveness  Responsiveness in service delivery is about listening, supporting and responding to people and their needs.  It is also about bringing human face in the governance systems, processes and activities.  The quality of service implies the ‘value for money’.

Responsiveness  Government cannot avoid people for any reasons.  Downward responsiveness ensures the proximity of state with people and it strengthens the state people relationships and cooperation.

Case study - I  Case study “Food shortage” (Sunita)  Please read the Case II carefully and then discuss in group :  To what extent was Sunita listened to?  How did Sunita feel?  To what extent information was provided for Sunita?  To what extent did the service provider respond to the requests of Sunita?

Case study - II  Case study: “Sincere Efforts” (Gopal Bhandari)  Please read the Case II carefully and then discuss in group :  What strategies did Gopal develop to improve the public imagine of the health post in terms of - Listening, Responding and Informing? Note your points on paper, and be prepared to share the findings verbally in plenary.

Learning  Responsiveness is about engagement with people  It is foundation of anticipative governance  It is about creating trust with people  It is to reinforce the role definition of civil servants  It is initiating behaviour change for effective public service delivery  It is serving for women, poor and excluded with human face and being empathetic

Learning  Be prepared to handle difficult situation,  Believe in self and take initiative with commitment but know your limitations  Have constructive engagement with all the stakeholders—support, recognition, ownership and trust  Be transparent—inform and get informed

Listening to citizens Being attentive to people Making their voices heard

Informing citizens Allows public to make informed decision about government services and make best use of the services available Develops a communication mechanism between government and the people Reduces the gap between government and the citizens.

Responding to public concerns Is not reacting on public opinions. Is about addressing people's interest with care and human rights perspective. Investing on capacity building of people so that they will be able to use the public facilities and services.

Responsiveness and trust buidling Responsive Governance Trust

How? Listening  Be attentive to the service recipients.  Be open minded, unbiased and have learning attitude.  Pro-activeness and soliciting—make them speak, consult them on what they look for.  Presence of mind.  Analytical: to situation and people, and cross validation.

How? Responding  Empathetic  Non-reactive but pragmatic  Timely  Dealing with difficult situation and people  Receive inputs and feedback

How? Informing  Quality information (Timely, preciseness, appropriateness, honesty)  Updated and continuous  Ensure people understand the information and feel comfortable with the information provided  Appropriate use of technology/ICT

Trust Building- How? Trust building maintain integrity transparency clear vision and values focusing on public interest simplifying process clear communication redress the public complaints

Trust building framework Service provider Integrity and ethics Effective communication Positive attitude Learning attitude Competency Integrity and ethics Effective communication Positive attitude Learning attitude Competency Simplifying process Promptness M & E Grievance redress Clear information Simplifying process Promptness M & E Grievance redress Clear information Vision Values Legal & policy documents Structure Vision Values Legal & policy documents Structure Process Institution Trust Building Feedback

Responsiveness : inextricably linked  Trust is the function of accountability, responsiveness and integrity.  In absence of responsiveness, accountability becomes mechanical.  Responsiveness demands quality interaction between public organization and citizens.  Being responsive means reducing gaps between state and people  Integrity is the foundation for accountability and responsiveness.