Ecuador

Community Defenses

City/State/Region
Begin – End: 2009 – ongoing
Name of organization in charge: Organizaciones Locales
Type of organization in charge: civil society
Level: local

Impact

?

Implementation: was the innovation effectively, partially or not put into practice at all?

Fulfillment of Aims: were the goals of the innovation completely, partially or not achieved at all?

Output: has the innovation generated recommendations, initiatives, decisions or policies?

Outcome: if there were a policy output, was it enacted or implemented?

Implementation: yes
Fulfillment of Democratic Innovation’s aim: yes
Output: -
Policy Outcome: -

Community Defenses are institutions established for the purpose of promoting citizen engagement in the defense and claim of their rights at a community level. . Although previous community defenses specifically focused on the rights of children and adolescents, they adopted a ?life cycle approach? in the constitutional process of 2008. Hence, they identify and act to reduce the vulnerability of several minorities and citizen groups within individual communities, parishes, neighborhoods or sectors. They also serve as agencies for the community to organize and carry out self-managed activities to learn about their rights. This helps support and strengthen social accountability in cases where public servants do not fully comply with the responsibilities of their roles as protectors and guarantors of rights and/or with the provision of services. Community ombudsmen must be actively integrated and must be recognized by their community or organization, and their members should be involved in community organizing and development processes.

Institutional design

?

Formalization: is the innovation embedded in the constitution or legislation, in an administrative act, or not formalized at all?

Frequency: how often does the innovation take place: only once, sporadically, or is it permanent or regular?

Mode of Selection of Participants: is the innovation open to all participants, access is restricted to some kind of condition, or both methods apply?

Type of participants: those who participate are individual citizens, civil society organizations, private stakeholders or a combination of those?

Decisiveness: does the innovation takes binding, non-binding or no decision at all?

Co-governance: is there involvement of the government in the process or not?

Formalization: only backed by a governmental program or policy
Frequency: sporadic
Mode of selection of participants: open
Type of participants: citizens
Decisiveness: democratic innovation yields no decision
Co-Governance: no

Means

Deliberation
Direct Voting
E-Participation
Citizen Representation

Ends

Accountability
Responsiveness
Rule of Law
Political Inclusion
Social Equality

Policy cycle

Agenda setting

Formulation and decision-making

Implementation

Policy Evaluation

Sources

(https://www.cpccs.gob.ec/participacion-ciudadana-y-control-social/control-social/defensorias-comunitarias/