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    The institutional profiles below provide contact information, program descriptions, and research and publication highlights for current members of the Network. Most institutions provide more detailed information, including full texts of selected publications, on their own Web sites. Unless otherwise noted, all Network member Web sites listed herein contain information in English.

    Latin America


    Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
    Contact: Gabriel C. Salvia, president and general director
    Av. Roque, Sáenz Peña 628
    Piso 2º Oficina R
    1035 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Phone: +54 11 4343 1447
    Fax: +54 11 4343 1447
    centro@cadal.org
    www.cadal.org
    Mission:
    Established in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003, CADAL's mission is to promote and consolidate democracy, rule of law, and free market economies in Latin America.

    Activities include:
    • Organizes and participates in conferences, seminars, workshops, and lectures on Latin American politics, human rights, journalism, democracy, economics, rule of law, modernization of political parties, and institutional development and communication

    • Conducts field research and publishes reports, books, and articles on journalism, human rights, and Latin American politics

    • Partners with university students to analyze Latin American politics with a pro-democratic and free market perspective through annual seminars and conferences

    • Circulates publications to government officials, universities, the media, and civil society

    Publication Information: Visit CADAL's Web site for a list of publications.


    Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
    Contact: Sergio López Ayllón, secretary general
    Carretera México-Toluca 3655
    Col. Lomas de Santa Fe
    01210 México, D.F.
    Mexico
    Phone: +01-800-021-2433
    sergio.lopez@cide.edu
    www.cide.edu
    Mission:
    CIDE is a research center committed to contributing to the development of Mexico through its demanding academic programs, rigorous and relevant research, and links to the public, private, social, and academic sectors. Intellectual independence and rigor, respect for plurality, a sense of equity, and a constant effort to balance a scientific approach to research with social relevance are behind CIDE’s successful search for excellence. As a public institute of higher education, CIDE provides international caliber training in the social sciences to students of diverse geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a research center with active links to decision makers, CIDE produces creative, methodologically sound, interdisciplinary research designed both to advance scientific knowledge and improve decision making. Both as a teaching and a research center, CIDE is a central point of reference in national academic debate and a key actor in efforts to improve public policy.

    Activities include:
    • Maintains a library of useful resources for social science research (BIIACS)

    • Facilitates academic studies divided among six disciplines and counting on the expertise of 69 professors

    • Coordinates a program designed for foreign social sciences students to study at CIDE


    Publication Information: Please visit CIDE's website for a list of recent publications.


    Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC)
    Contact: Miguel Braun, executive director
    Av. Callao 25 Piso 1 8
    C1022AAA Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    Phone: +54 11 4384 9009
    Fax: +54 11 4371 1221
    infocippec@cippec.org
    www.cippec.org
    Mission:
    CIPPEC is a private, non-profit organization that strives to create a more just, democratic, and efficient state in Argentina to improve the quality of life for all Argentine citizens. It seeks to help turn sound ideas into concrete policies in the areas of social development, economic development and strengthening of institutions, through the education, health, fiscal policy, international economics, justice, transparency, democratic institutions, policy management, and civil society influence programs. As an active member of civil society, CIPPEC believes that a more just, responsible, effective, and transparent state will create an Argentina that can be both integrated into the world and address the needs of its citizens, enabling all Argentines to develop to their full potential.

    Activities include:
    • Studying the current education, health, fiscal, political, judicial and public management systems, in order to determine needs, opportunities, and obstacles when implementing effective public policies

    • Providing thoughtful and well-researched advice to officials at different government levels to promote the best practices for governing. Participating directly in the design and implementation of new public policies that contribute to a more just and democratic state

    • Elaborating and disseminating clear and accurate information about the performance of the state

    • Facilitating citizens’ access to public information, enabling them to familiarize themselves with all aspects of public policies in order to understand and evaluate the three branches of government

    • Analysing and disseminating information about the performance of state institutions in order to foster a culture of accountability of government representatives to their constituents

    • Training members of civil society and providing them with practical tools to monitor the behavior of the state

    Publication Information: Please visit http://cippec.org/nuevo/biblioteca.php for a list of recent publications.



    Congreso Visible (CV)
    Contact: Monica Pachon Buitrago, executive director
    Cra. 1E # 18A-10 Edificio Franco 3p
    Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia
    Phone: +57-3-394-949-2614, 3203, 3212
    cvisible@uniandes.edu.co
    http://cvisible.uniandes.edu.co/share/user/index.php
    Mission:
    Congreso Visible is a research project of the department of political science and the Center for Sociojudicial Research at the Universidad de Los Andes. Its main objective is to promote citizen monitoring of Congress and citizen access to elected representatives.

    The project seeks to improve the level of information available to citizens regarding Congress through the centralization and dissemination of legislative information, which in turn will allow for citizen participation in the decision-making process.

    Activities include:
    • Maintaining a legislative database that includes information on members of Congress

    • Conducting research on Congress using information from the database

    • Publishing project findings and analysis in the media

    Publication Information: Please visit CV's Web site for a list of recent publications.



    FUNDAR– Centro de Análisis e Investigación, Mexico
    Contact: Jorge Romero, executive director
    Cerrada de Alberto Zamora, no. 21
    Col. Villa Coyocan
    Del. Coyocan
    C.P. 04000 Mexico
    Phone: +52-55-55-541-854
    fundar@fundar.org.mx
    www.fundar.org.mx
    Mission:
    FUNDAR, the Center for Analysis and Research, was founded in 1999 as an independent organization to conduct research on and to promote Mexico's transition to democracy. The Center's priorities include public budgets, transparency, citizen participation, human and women's rights, and social justice.

    Activities include:
    • Monitoring and conducting substantive research on public budgets, with the aim of analyzing the impact of government spending on diverse sectors; advancing citizens' interests; and contributing to the consolidation of new mechanisms of participation

    • Organizing workshops and preparing handbooks and topical documents on budget issues for legislators, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, and the media

    • Encouraging and promoting informed debates and decision-making processes, as well as strengthening the activities of advocacy-oriented groups

    • Developing a transparency scorecard for several Latin American countries (in cooperation with other organizations)

    • Conducting research on conflict situations, local power, and environmental protection issues

    Publication Information: Please visit FUNDAR's Web site for alist of publications.



    Grupo Faro
    Contact: Orazio J. Bellettini, executive director
    Gregorio Bobadilla N38-88 y Grande Centeno
    Quito, Ecuador
    Phone: +593-2-245-6367
    Fax: +593-2-226-4719
    info@grupofaro.org
    www.grupofaro.org/index.php?lang=2
    Mission:
    Grupo Faro - Foundation for the Advance of Reform and Opportunity - is an independent and nonpartisan “think-and-do tank” that promotes justice, economic growth, equality, and social progress in Ecuador, in order to create a country where all Ecuadorians have an equal opportunity to develop their potential. Through its programs on state reform, education, environmental policy, migration policy, and public finance, Grupo FARO aims to serve as a bridge between the government and civil society, providing citizens with the information and tools they need to actively participate in the public policy process; to encourage public-private cooperation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of reforms and public policies in Ecuador; to encourage the State to provide for the needs of the public in an inclusive, efficient and transparent manner; and to create a forum where young leaders can apply their ideas and energy to the social, economic, and political transformation of Ecuador.

    Activities include:
    • Promoting informed dialogue: Grupo FARO presents evidence to generate social consciousness and stimulate conversations about how certain actions or policies affect individuals and society. The evidence is presented to public officials, NGOs across the country, journalists, and other stakeholders in the following formats: policy brief, 4-6 page analysis on the implications of upcoming public policies; policy proposals, policy reports that include background research that may assist policy-makers in their preparation for debates concerning important national issues. Additionally, Grupo FARO aims to use evidence and research findings to encourage citizens to monitor the policy process

    • Implementing capacity building initiatives: Grupo FARO focuses on improving the capacity of actors to translate ideas into action by encouraging initiatives that improve human resources, organizational strengthening, and institutional reform, as well as promote public-private cooperation in the design, budgeting, implementation, and monitoring of reforms and public policies in Ecuador

    • Creating awareness among individuals, organizations, and the government on how their actions affect society: Grupo FARO advocates transparency within public policy decisions, as it believes that transparency is a fundamental tool to increase progress and equality in Ecuadorian policy making. Grupo FARO also evaluates the impact that public policies have on individuals and society as a way to promote individual and mutual responsibility in dealing with the consequences of public decisions

    Publication Information: Information about and publications by Grupo FARO are available at www.grupofaro.org.



    Instituto Centroamericano de Gobernabilidad (ICG)- Estudios para el Futuro
    Contact: Jaime Ordonez, director
    Flora Aguilar, academic coordinator
    Programa Observatorio de la Democracia en Centroamérica
    Apartado Postal 2324-1000
    San José, Costa Rica
    Phone: +506-2225-7512
    Fax: +506-2224-9549
    epf@epfcentroamerica.org
    www.epfcentroamerica.org
    Mission:
    ICG is a Central American think tank that specializes in good governance, state reform, rule of law, democratization, institutional modernization, and human development in 5 Central American countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. ICG’s team of researchers, economists, sociologists, and international relations experts also conduct comparative analyses and projects in other regions of the world. ICG has developed partnerships with different agencies and international organizations, including the OAS; the governments of Spain, Norway, Canada, and Switzerland; the Inter-American Bank of Development; the Department for International Development in Great Britain; the United Nations Development Programme; and others.

    Activities include:
    • Designing and directing the Program Observatory of Democracy in Central America and the System of Indicators on Legal and Institutional Governance, a survey of that includes 99 variables and 475 legal indicators that cover five broad areas of institutional building, legal organization, and public policies

    • Launching the Central American Report on Legal and Institutional Governance, produced by 120 researchers and scholars from 5 Central American countries. This Report contains a set of differentiated diagnosis for each country and thematic chapters of specific recommendations for each indicator, including constitutional reforms, secondary law reforms, executive decrees, budgetary provisions, and others

    • Publishing academic reports, manuals, and specialized books

    Publication Information: Please visit http://www.epfcentroamerica.org/publica.htm for a list of recent publications.



    Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózoga (ICP)
    Contact: Marcela Prieto, executive director
    Calle 70, No. 7A-29
    Bogotá, Colombia
    Phone: +571-317-79-79
    Fax: +571-317-79-89
    info@icpcolombia.org
    www.icpcolombia.org
    Mission:
    ICP is a non for profit organization founded in Bogotá, Colombia in 1987, independent of any political party or religious belief. Its mission is to be committed to the study of democratic and market economy principles and values, both indispensable elements in order to carry out adequate institutional building, satisfactory political development and accurate economic, social and cultural progress.

    Activities include:
    • Publishing Legislative Observatory, a legislativel information bulletin that describes the content, scope and procedures of the most important bills or legislative action discussed in Congress. These bulletins have become a practical and important tool for Legislators, students/researchers, government official, journalists and civil society in general.

    • Organizing conferences, seminars, lectures, and meetings where national and international recognized experts analyze and debate important subjects of national and international importance. The events done by the Institute are widely attended and its public comes from diverse and demanding sectors. The active participation of businessmen, academics, students, and policy makers to such activities is recognized in having a direct impact in the decision making process.

    • Publishing Policy Papers and Policy Reports, which are aimed to provide specific ICP concepts on different important topics being discussed both nationally and internationally. The extent of the Reports does not exceed two pages. And in the case of the Policy Papers no more then five.

    Publication Information: Please visit ICP's Web site for a list of their publications.



    Latinobarometer
    Contact: Marta Lagos, executive director
    Corporación Latinobarómetro
    Providencia Orrego Luco 130
    Santiago, Chile
    Phone: +562-232-0345
    latinobarometer@latinobarometer.org
    www.latinobarometro.org
    Mission:
    Latinobarometer is an annual public opinion survey carried out in 17 Latin American countries by the Corporación Latinobarómetro. It expresses the opinions, attitudes, and behaviors of approximately 400 million inhabitants of the region. The survey started in 1988 with a pilot survey in four countries of the southern cone of Latin America— Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile—and focused on the social underpinnings of these new democracies. It had expanded to 17 countries in 1996. It is a private, nonprofit initiative for use by the social and political sectors of the region.

    Activities include:
    • Conducting annual public opinion polls in 17 countries in the region with representative samples surveying the opinions, attitudes, behaviors, and values of the people of the region on such issues as the economy and international trade; integration and regional trade, democracy, politics and institutions; social policies and the distribution of wealth; civic culture; social capital and participation; the environment; gender issues; and indicators of discrimination

    • Holding an annual press conference to outline the major findings of the survey

    • Publishing survey-research data and analysis on the Internet

    • Disseminating the results of the surveys to government officials; presenting them in international forums and seminars; publishing essays in such news outlets as the Wall Street Journal and the Economist and in academic-journal articles in Spanish, English, and German

    Publication Information: Please visit Latinobarometer's Web site for a list of publications.



    State of the Nation Program (Programa Estado de la Nación en Desarrollo Humano Sostenible)
    Contact: Jorge Vargas Cullel, deputy coordinator
    CONARE
    Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz Building
    Pavas
    P.O.Box. 1174-1200
    San José, Costa Rica
    Phone: +506-290-3325 or +506-232-0640, +506-232-4750
    Fax: +506-290-5879 or +506-296-5626
    programa@estadonacion.or.cr
    www.estadonacion.or.cr/index.htm
    Mission:
    The State of the Nation Program was established in 1992 to advance the study and discussion of human sustainable development in Costa Rica. It was created by the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (National Council of University Deans) to provide a basis for collaborative efforts by different sectors of society to produce and distribute an annual report on Costa Rican human development.

    Activities include:
    • The flagship publication of the State of the Nation Program is a major annual report on human development in Costa Rica. The 2005 report (which was the eleventh in the series) focused on strengthening democracy, equality and social integration, economic stability, and environmentally responsible practices. For the complete Spanish text visit www.estadonacion.or.cr/Info2005/Paginas/indice.html. Visit www.estadonacion.or.cr/Informes/informes.html to access previous reports in the series.

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