What is Participation Officers
Participation Officers, abbreviated as a "PO". According to "Directions for Implementing the Role of Participation Officers in the Executive Yuan and Subordinate Agencies", at least one person is appointed by each secondary or tertiary agency. Usually, they are colleagues in public relations, comprehensive regulations, examination management, or information. All the POs form a close cooperation networks, which is in cooperation with each other to promote the cooperation of the various ministries, called the "PO Network". When an issue with complex stakeholder and divergent opinions, the PO can form a working group within the agency or assist the head of the agency, to plan an appropriate policy development process base on the principles of open government, in which diverse Stakeholders can participate and improve policies with a more comprehensive view.
What does a PO do?
The most important task is to assist the public sector to listen to the opinions of the non-specific public, and plan cross-agency policies in cooperation. So what are the qualities of POs? We recommend that POs have a passion for public communication, be familiar with policy content, and make good use of web tools. Understanding policy content is necessary to PO to make the communication more smooth, because PO is the communication bridge between agency and public. Thanks to the popularity of the Internet, various communication way have sprung up. Familiar with Internet (e.g. social media) is hoped that can help POs to facilitate policy dialogue more broadly and effectively.
What skills do POs need?
Be more strengthen the above capabilities to enhancing public-private partnership, transparency of policy and gradually practicing the spirit of an open government, if POs familiar with following skill.
Facilitate
Translate
Record
How does a PO Network work?
A PO Network should contact all parties in the event of an issue.
PO Metwork
Inside the network
Integrate internal views
Outside the network
Understand the views expectations of the public on this issue
Vertical liaison
Views from all levels of the public sector
Horizontal liaison
Positions and scopes of the relevant ministries
PO Network operational mechanism：the three-tier meeting
It is an important mechanism for the POs to connect with each other
Seasonal meeting
The heads of the POs of the ministries and departments will gather together to hear the process of ongoing topics and achievement of completed topics every season. It is a concept of upward management. It is to let these officers know more about what POs have done and what assistance they need.
Monthly meeting
Each month, POs get together to share each other about what's been dealt with recently and what else they want to do next.
Collaborative meeting
They are held twice a month in principle. After the PO monthly meeting vote, the selected host organization can prepare the coordination meeting in which other POs can also participate.
