CUTS, Events

The case studies of successes and non-successes formed a key element of the empirical issues that aim to provide a better understanding of the actions at bettering people’s lives.The case study approach was taken up to provide an in-depth, longitudinal examination of the issues addressed and discern whether implementation was in compliance with its intent. Moreover, it will help to appreciate concerns about implementation problems. There will be a better understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might be important to look at more extensively in future.

The case studies was compiled into a book with the intent of making it a vital reference document for all participants and their institutions. It will be an articulation of why the instance occurred as it did, how were the issues tackled, and what may be important to explore in similar situations.

The case studies were on any one of the following sub-themes: People’s Participation, State Intervention, and International Co-operation. The objective was to catalyse further actions in developing countries around the world. The case studies were selected by looking at various governance areas where rights-based advocacy groups, governments and international organisations have made efforts in the following areas:

· Economic policy and legal issues

· Consumer-citizen action and legal issues

· People’s empowerment and mobilisation

Illustrations of case studies

People’s participation

Vietnam has been under a communist rule for long, where laws were not the order but the local commissariat provided dispute settlement. As Vietnam starting liberalisation, laws began to be enacted. However the poor rural folk were quite ignorant as to how to use the laws to protect their rights, fight corruption, and navigate complex judicial system, until Mr. Pham The Hanh came onto the scene designing and running legal literacy programmes. The dedication of Mr. Hanh has now shown the way to ordinary citizens to get redress easily.

State intervention

Bhutan, a small country, with very little production base imports 90 percent of its goods from India. Being a small market, the Indian companies would appoint only one distributor. Realising that such a monopoly could lead to consumer exploitation, Bhutan asked all Indian companies to appoint parallel distributors.

Hindustan Lever Ltd resisted the order, until their distributor was threatened. HLL gave in, and appointed another dealer. Lo and behold, the competition ensured that HLL’s goods started moving into the market much more than before. Now both HLL and its consumers are happy.

International co-operation

Realising the portentous potential of ozone depletion on ecosystems and people due to use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the international community entered into an international agreement: the Montreal Protocol. This accord, through a proper transfer of financial resources and technology to the South, will phase-out ozone depleting substances over a fixed time period.

Terms of Reference for Case Studies

Objective of Case Studies

The Partnership Conclave aimed at showcasing instances of successes and non-successes in various governance areas where rights-based advocacy groups, that include consumer organisations, have made efforts in the following areas:

Economic policy and legal issues
Consumer-citizen action and legal issues
People’s empowerment and mobilisation

The case studies formed a key element of the empirical issues that aim to provide a better understanding of advocacy at grassroots level. The objective was to share this knowledge systematically, analyse it in a broader context through presentations and discussion, which can catalysed further actions in similar situations in developing countries.

Key Questions

Specifically case studies addressed following key questions:

1. Who were the poor involved in terms of their socio-demographic and psychographic profile?

2. What economic, physical, or psychological deprivations characterise them?

3. What are the motivational factors contributing to their participation?

4. What was done/is being done to assist the poor to address these problems, including actions
being undertaken through participation, with little or no external inputs?

5. How were the external interventions/assistance organised?

6. What other resources, such as human, financial, were needed to make them work?

7. What were the specific benefits of adopting a specific solution to tackle/resolve the identified
problem?

8. What was the role of policy environment?

9. What was the role of other stakeholders (such as government, NGOs, private sector)?

10. What were the constraints, opportunities and challenges faced in implementing such interventions?
Is there anything that has failed, if so why?

11. What impact have they had and are these impacts sustainable?

12. What findings may be replicable elsewhere and what may be country/region-specific? What would
be the resulting implications?

13. What were the policy implications in the process or as an outcome?

Format of Case Studies-Please send the following as hard copy as well as soft copy through email or in a floppy:

1. Synopsis

2. Factual presentation

Description of the case
Assumptions, if any.

3. Policy issues

What is the role of policy environment and stakeholders involved therein?
On what grounds can the citizen complain?

4. Analysis of the case

What was the nature of violation by opposite parties, if at all?
What was the impact on people’s interests?
Any other relevant points

5. The actual campaign

How was it organised?
What was the geographical scope of the movement?
How did they draw the attention of consumers, media, and other stakeholders?
What were the challenges faced in the campaign?

6. Outcome of the activity

What are the policy implications?
Was there a proper enforcement of decision?
Are the impact and/or change sustainable?
Is the solution replicable in any other region or country, and what would be the implications?

7. Conclusion

The above is a guideline to present reader friendly structured case studies to enable comparisons between different situations, actions, and outcomes. The outline is only indicative of the flow of the case study, and does not suggest an exhaustive questionnaire in any sense. Any important points, specific to the situation or issues addressed, may be included.

Case study presentations will be no longer than 15 minutes. The case study should be no more than 15 A4 pages. Case studies will be screened by the Steering Committee responsible for the technical planning of the conference. Those invited to present at the conference will be contacted.

Case studies should be sent to:

Conclave Co-ordinator,
Consumer Unity and Trust Society,
D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park,
Jaipur 302 016, India.
Ph: +91(0)141-2282821
Fx: +91(0)141-22282823/2203 998
Email: 20thAnniversary@cuts-international.org

Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)