The OECD workshop held in Ljubljana on September 18th, 2023, brought together over 40 key governmental stakeholders from across the public administration to discuss the findings of the 2023 OECD Trust Survey in Slovenia. The workshop aimed to disseminate the survey results and foster discussions on how to take these findings forward. The event was structured into three main sessions, focusing on prioritisation of next steps, evidence-informed policy making (EIPM), and public communication. Peers from the government of Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre provided relevant insights from their own experiences and research.
In the prioritisation exercise, participants identified several key areas for improvement. In terms of overall trust levels and perception of public governance in Slovenia, they emphasised the need to address low trust in civil servants and perceptions of bias and corruption, as well as bridging the gap between public perception and objective indicators, most notably with regards to the quality of official statistics and integrity.
Regarding government competences, participants stressed the importance of improving policy monitoring and implementation, breaking silos to address complex challenges, designing and communicating realistic reforms with clear timelines, and emphasising statistical data in decision-making processes. Participants identified next steps to improve perception of government values, suggesting more consistent and standardised public engagement, especially for legislative proposals, and improving transparency in the decision-making process to facilitate public participation.
Communication was identified as another crucial priority area. Recommendations discussed by the participants included enhancing communication around policy changes and reforms, particularly to younger generations, focusing on clear and consistent messaging, and improving targeted communication with more positive stories. Lastly, participants recognised the significance of the media and information environment. They proposed strengthening media pluralism, diversity, and independence, improving cooperation with media to build mutual trust, and enhancing media literacy among the public.
The EIPM session highlighted several challenges for evidence-based policymaking in Slovenia. Time pressure emerged as a significant obstacle. Participants noted the underutilisation of scientific research and impact assessments, as well as difficulties in obtaining high-quality feedback from public consultations. They also emphasised the complexity of communicating the evidence behind policy decisions, especially when political factors drive the change. The need for improved data and functional literacy among policymakers and enhanced inter-ministerial cooperation was stressed. Lastly, participants noted with concern the discrepancy observed between the public's relatively negative perception of government statistics and the actual high performance of the National Statistical Office.
The public communication session explored current objectives and potential improvements in Slovenia's public communication strategies. Discussions centred on how to better integrate communication into the policy-making process and improve the government's ability to communicate policy impacts to citizens. Participants also considered ways to reach diverse audience groups more effectively.