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After the process is authorized, it must be continuously reinforced and supported by senior leadership; otherwise, the process risks losing momentum. For example, the initiator and driver of the process may be: 

  • a recently elected mayor
  • a pro-participation champion working as a political appointee or senior civil servant (such as a city manager)
  • a reform-minded local councilor or assembly member

Responding to public feedback usually requires the local authority to do something meaningful, so it should be unsurprising that feedback loops tend to be successful when local authorities lead the process.

What if the first push for more feedback comes from outside government?

Importantly, if the first push for a feedback loop comes from actors outside the local authority, then it will be necessary to secure buy-in from government decision-makers before a decision is adopted and formalized in a legal or administrative instrument. This may be complicated even when local authorities lead the process: in El Salvador, for example, local authorities often have to get buy-in from political party leaders or legislators, given how municipalities rely on higher-level authorities for public funding. While this step focuses on authorizing the process, see Step 2 for advice on how to build buy-in and encourage participation in a process once it is authorized.

When making this initial decision, leaders should evaluate the following to help justify the case for a feedback loop process.

Box 6. Decision tree: Should we implement a feedback loop?

What is the nature of the challenge we are trying to solve? Is a feedback loop the right solution to this challenge (i.e., is feedback necessary or useful for reaching our goal)? Consider:

  1. Will we be able to complete all of the steps?
  2. Can we set a clear objective?
  3. Who will do the work?
  4. What skills and resources (e.g., people, money, time) will we need?
  5. How will we collect sufficient data?
  6. Who do we need to reach? How will we reach them?
  7. Will we be able to take action on the feedback and update the public promptly?
  8. How will we close the loop and issue a final report once action is completed?

The following questions will be used as signposts throughout the guide.
 

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