Competence Centres introduce themselves
ARN FRIEDRICH SRECKER, AdvokaturFORS
HELVETAS
INSTITUTE OF FEDERALISM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FRIBOURG
Advokatur Arn Friederich Strecker, Switzerland
From Daniel Arn, and Mirjam Strecker
With an interdisciplinary approach, the Advokatur Arn Friedrich Strecker specialises on Organization of the State, Networking with other specialists, Project Management in political contexts, and Decentralization and Good Governance in development contexts. It provides consulting and forensic services to municipalities, cantons, and associations, including non-profit organizations and federal states in constitutional and administrative law issues and process management. Its areas of expertise include the organizational structure of municipalities, inter-municipal and inter-cantonal cooperation, institutional set-up of agglomerations and metropolitan regions, New Public Management, budgets, Public Private Partnerships, division of responsibilities between different levels of government, and financial equalization. Additionally, it supports the directorate of the Association of Municipalities in the canton of Berne by organizing the association’s activities, setting up lobbying, protecting the interests of cities and municipalities vis-à-vis the canton, consulting members of the association, and balancing interests between different municipalities. The Advokatur is member of numerous expert committees such as: division of responsibilities between canton and municipalities, reform of system of equalization of finances and burdens, police reform, revision of law on municipalities, among others.
It makes important contributions to different research projects and teaching activities in various courses and has numerous assignments abroad concerning decentralization and local self-governance in Albania, Bosnia, Czech Re-public, Hungary, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Serbia, Slovakia, and Tajikistan. For further information: http://www.advokatur-afs.ch/
FORS - Swiss Centre of Expertise in Social Sciences
From Isabelle Renschler
FORS is a social science research and data infrastructures centre servicing the national and international scientific community. It is responsible for some of the major Swiss national scientific surveys, like the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), the national election study SELECTS, the Swiss contributions to the European Social Survey (ESS), the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) and the European Values Study (EVS). FORS also documents, stores, and gives access to a large amount of social scientific data produced in Swit-zerland, and it serves as an entry point for researchers to access microdata of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO). Furthermore, FORS collaborators conduct methodological research towards improving data quality, and publish scientific articles based on analyses of survey data. More information on www.fors.unil.ch
The Helvetas Governance and Peace Team
From Esther Marthaler and Celestine Krösschell
The HELVETAS Governance and Peace team provides advisory services to HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation programmes and external clients. The thematic fields focus on municipal development, strengthening of civil society, decentralization as a means towards local democratic governance, strengthening institutions and inclusive processes, and involving citizens in decision-making to promote local development. We also offer particular competence in conflict sensitivity, conflict prevention and conflict transformation with the application of respective instruments and tools. Furthermore we have competences in migration and we offer services related to culture, in the sense of promoting artistic expressions in order to create space for dialogue and hence contribute to social inclusion. We want to pursue the idea that "active citizens and effective states" can jointly make a difference. Interrelated topics of the team are the promotion of good governance and democratic principles, human rights, justice, and peace.
LINKS: Brochures: Sharing Power for Development, Making Good Local Governance Grow, Guidelines: Human Rights-based Approach; Natural Resource Management and Conflict. Project capitalisation: Issue Sheet on Public Audit Practice in Nepal, Issue sheet on Development & Peace in Sri Lanka.
INSTITUTE OF FEDERALISM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FRIBOURG
From Viorel Dupu
The Institute of Federalism of University of Fribourg, founded in 1984, is a nationally and internationally recognised centre of interdisciplinary academic expertise in the fields of federalism and state organisation. The Institute focuses its activity on four fields that are potential areas of tensions: unity and diversity, solidarity and competition, structures and procedures, democracy and human rights.
The International Research and Consulting Centre (IRCC) was established in 1997 as part of the Institute. It engages in research, teaching and consulting activities with the aim of promoting academic and applied research and debate, as well as policies directed at the establishment of more just and equitable good governance institutions. IRCC hosts - along with other conferences, workshops and in-house seminars- an annual Summer University Course on «Federalism, Decentralisation and Conflict Resolution» for graduate students and an annual Practitioners Course on «Decentralisation and Local Governance» specifically designed for qualified professionals.
The Guest Researcher Programme allows scholars from all over the world to conduct research on the areas of competence of the Institute. Consulting activities are carried out on issues related to state organisation, comparative federalism and decentralisation, democracy and good governance, human rights and minority protection, multiculturalism and conflict resolution. Fur-thermore, the IRCC frequently hosts foreign delegations for study tours on Swiss Federalism. For more information visit the website of the Institute of Federalism at http://www.unifr.ch/federalism
