Ministers struggle to meet rising, changing challenges with fixed resources and personnel.
An African country suffered widening epidemics of malaria and HIV/AIDS. Yet as infection rates soared, the health ministry's budget and personnel remained the same. ICLAD's problem-solving method guided an efficient research process to discover the causes of the behaviors that contributed to the problem locally. Once officials understood the country-specific causes, they could use ICLAD's cost-benefit analysis tools to choose the most effective solution, rather than wasting time and resources on activities that would not work in their circumstances.

Legislative drafters need better theory and a method for efficient, democratic, effective drafting.
Lacking experienced drafters, ministries often copy model legislation, or they rely on consultants from other countries to draft their legislation-legislation that fails when it does not fit the country's specific context. Around the world, ICLAD has provided drafters with the unique technical skills and problem-solving method that allow them to draft effective legislation in an efficient, participatory way. Ministries throughout the Middle East, Asia-Pacific region, and Africa have also partnered with ICLAD to create their own training programs and research centers to build and sustain their legislation drafting capacity.

Even as officials attempt to implement laws and devise effective rules, problems remain unsolved.
In a South American country, officials attempted to implement a law to create subsidized housing developments for the poor. Officials proposed hundreds of pages of subsidiary policies and regulations, but two years later, the developments still lacked plumbing, roads, and access to other basic services. ICLAD trains ministries to task appropriate implementing agencies, gather evidence necessary for effective implementation from civil society and other sources, and monitor and evaluate implementation.