The instrument includes information for possible goals and tasks in the individual phases and criteria of the reform process.
All phases of the reform process - agenda setting, formulation and decision-making, implementation and impact evaluation-are based on the three C's of a successful reform strategy: competence, communication and the capability to implement solutions. These three criteria are in a tug-of-war between goals related to making reforms and those related to exercising political power, and they are all key elements for the success of reforms. It is crucial to pay equal attention to each of these criteria during all phases of the reform process. Indeed, if you put too much stress on one criterion and neglect the others, things can get quickly out of control. For example, too much communication at the expense of competence results in policy marketing instead of policy results. And if policy-making relies too much on using strong-arm tactics to implement reforms, the quality of the reform can suffer. On the other hand, if policymakers put their main focus on competence, they can lose sight of the importance of having the capability to implement reforms. No matter what the imbalance is, it will only lead to incomplete reforms. This is the direct link to the ReformCompass website: http://www.reformkompass.de/en/instrument/