Page 126 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

You will need to decide who is responsible for producing the briefing booklet. Typically, this is done by either the government agency who is sponsoring the project or by an independent institution such as a university. Each of these has pros and cons. Source Pro Con Government Clear statement of the Government’s view and position on the current problem – allows a transparent ‘sharing of the problem’ outlet for the government. Is perceived as having a ‘bias’ because it is from the Government. This means that people may be suspicious of information included or left out. Independent Perceived as ‘independent’ source of information because it is not from the decision- maker. This means that participants might be more trusting of the information within. Perception of independence can lead some readers not to properly interrogate the information or seek a diversity of sources – often equating independence with a lack of bias. 124 A Project of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF)