7.7.2 Getting ahead of the legislators

Actively engaging stakeholders can have advantages, many of which have already been noted. It also brings risks:

• The proposals and recommendations raise expectations and go beyond what the legislators are ready to do.
• The government might elect to ‘go it alone’ with no further consultation or public disclosure, with the result that the newly established institution is born with several strikes against it, including the expectation that it will be ineffectual at best, and a tool of government at worst.

It is important that those supporting the establishment of the institution get a clear sense of where its political limits are from the earliest possible moment, and attempt to develop a consensus that pushes at these limits without shutting down the process. This can only be done through continual and direct contact with the political authorities themselves and in particular the authorities that are the focal points or ‘champions’ for the institution.