Webinar: World Policy Analysis Center Legislative and Policy Data – Tools for Accountability and Advocacy

Advocates for social justice require tools and measures to track country performance and promote accountability and policy change.  The UCLA World Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) has collected data on laws and policies in 193 countries relevant to the priority objectives of Social Watch and member groups, including gender equity, the eradication of poverty, and factors that shape poverty, such as labor conditions and educational policies.  Our findings related to policies affecting children have been translated into user-friendly maps, which are available on our public website (http://childrenschances.org).  This data allows advocates to see how their country compares to others in implementing legislation and policies aimed at reducing poverty and guaranteeing gender equity.  It also provides the tools to hold countries accountable to their international commitments.

This June, WORLD is offering a unique opportunity for member organizations of Social Watch to learn about this new data source and its potential uses through an interactive webinar and discussion with Dr. Jody Heymann, Dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Director of the World Policy Analysis Center (for more information: http://world.ph.ucla.edu/about/meet-staff/dr-jody-heymann), and colleagues at the Center. This webinar will provide an overview of the new data available through WORLD and how these can be accessed, as well as sample findings in the areas of:

• poverty reduction policy (e.g. minimum wage, cash benefits),
• gender equity protections (e.g. constitutional guarantees of equity, disparities in the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys),
• and other key areas such as working conditions and education policy.

During the webinar we will discuss the need for transparent and quantitatively comparable measures to assess whether countries have legislation and policies in place to reduce poverty and protect gender equity.  We will provide an interactive overview of our free publicly available website, featuring maps that show legislation and policies in a format that is easily accessible and allows for international and inter-regional comparisons.  At the end of the webinar there will be a question and answer period during which we will also welcome feedback about the data and ideas for its potential utility.

Webinars will take place in English, French, and Spanish according to the following schedule:

English: Thursday, 27 June, 2013 – 15:00-16:00 UTC
French: Friday, 28 June, 2013 – 15:00-16:00 UTC
Spanish: Friday, 28 June, 2013 – 17:00-18:00 UTC

To register for a webinar please complete the form at this link: http://goo.gl/KPjrc.

We will send the link and instructions for participation in the webinar to all registrants.  The sessions will have a cap on participants therefore if you wish to participate please RSVP early.

More information:

The World Policy Analysis Center is the first and largest data center examining social and economic policy globally, with the aim of improving the quantity and quality of globally comparative policy data available to government leaders, citizens, civil society, and researchers around the world on policies affecting human health, development, well-being, equity, and the economy. Our data includes information on public policies in all 193 UN member states including poverty reduction policies, education policies, labor laws, family policies, disability policies, pensions, unemployment insurance, and constitutional rights, among others. The goal of the center is to facilitate assessments of what is feasible and effective and support the translation of effective policies into solutions at the global, national, and local levels.

For more findings and detailed information on data collection methods, see http://childrenschances.org.