Balkan Peer Exchange Enhancing Analysis and Research-Based Advocacy in an Era of Open Data

February 21-23, 2012 / Belgrade, Serbia 100 participants, representatives of think tanks, advocacy organizations and donors gathered in Belgrade and discussed enhancing analysis and research based advocacy in an era of open data. Balkan Peer Exchange provided a space for peer to peer exchange of practices and lessons learned, sharing opinions on relevant topics, presenting and promoting good practices of policy research design/monitoring and advocacy and suggesting ideas for new projects. The conference was opened by Ivan Krastev Chair of the Board, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Bulgaria, with the topic Challenges and Opportunities for Think Tanks and Advocacy Organizations in the Western Balkans Today. Other topics covered by the conference were: EU Integration - A Blessing and A Curse to NGOs Engaged in the Process, Future Agendas and Space for Policy Advocacy in a Time of Downsized Democracy in the Western Balkans, Government Transparency and Accountability: Stimulation vs. Stagnation, Security Sector Reform in the Region: Mission Accomplished in the Western Balkans, Digging Deep in the International Relations of the Region: External Actors in the Western Balkans (USA, EU, Russia, Turkey, China) and others. Participants had a chance to share their practices through workshops and learn more about Open and Closed Data, Fiscal Transparency and the Abuse of State Resources, Social Integration and the Economic Crisis - A Threat or a Chance - A Case Study of Serbia, Data Visualization and Evidence-Based Advocacy, Decoding Visualization for Advocacy, What Makes Knowledge and Research Policy-Relevant… You can see the detailed agenda here and watch some of the panels online. The event was financed and organized by European Fund for the Balkans, Think Tank Fund together with the Human Rights Governance Grants Program and Foundation for Open Society Serbia from the Open Society Foundations, Balkan Trust for Democracy of the German Marshall Fund and the National Endowment for Democracy.