About NDI: "The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades....Since its founding in 1983, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government."
You can learn more (and download brochure) here: https://www.ndi.org/who-we-are
I was eager to learn more about the work of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Macedonia, and so I appreciated Robert Scott's willingness to spend some time with me.
He described a number of initiatives designed to help members of the Parliament be more effective (e.g., the Parliamentary Institute project, that provides research and analytical services to members who do not otherwise have a big staff to provide independent analyses) and more accessible to the public (e.g., publications like "The Public Hearing Process" - a guide for citizens to present their views to their representatives).
They also produce a political talk show on TV24 -- "Open" -- during which a panel of experts and practitioners from diverse points of view discuss important current events before a live studio audience (who are also able to submit questions to the panelists).
Of course, I was intrigued, and wanted to know how I could bring students from my "Democracy and Civil Society" class. I was delighted that we were able to bring the group in April -- and that my students could meet with Robert Scott after the taping of the show.
blog post about students at TV 24 Show Open
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| Robert Scott meets with students in my "Democracy and Civil Society" class after the taping of the TV24 Show "Open" |
The topic of discussion on the show was the results of the tracking poll that was commissioned by NDI to learn more about perceptions of the crisis (and possible way out). Here is a summary of the results
https://www.ndi.org/publications/macedonia-poll-finds-citizens-concerned-about-political-situation-divided-way-out
If you watch the program (in this link blog post TV24) you will hear the panelists discuss the poll results.
More recently, I had the honor of participating in a T24 "Open" program about judicial selection and rule of law. See http://jainmacedonia.blogspot.mk/2017/05/guest-on-tv24-show-open-24.html
For more information, see
NDI website: https://www.ndi.org/
NDI facebook page: NDI facebook page
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