Citizen Involvement in the Formulation of Public Policy

Public Policy and Administration Research, 2014

This article is a documentary and historical analysis of the experience of Botswana in citizen engagement in the public policy making process before and during the administration of President Festus Mogae that ended in April 2008. Public policy making in many African countries has long been dominated by a 'top-down approach' which is a hangover from either the long period of military dictatorship in many of the countries or from the authoritarian one-party system in some of them. Many existing participatory mechanisms only provide symbolic forms of participation. However, Botswana to a large extent is an exception as decentralized planning is a priority in the governance process with its citizen engagement process rooted in the consultative framework of traditional 'kgotla' democratic system of governance. Although active participative form of citizen engagement is yet to be fully achieved, Botswana's existing citizen engagement mechanisms are no doubt a model for other African countries to emulate.

International Journal of Current Aspects

To assist the government in determining its mandate, citizens should be involved as they best know their needs. The significance of citizen engagement in the process of policy formulation is rooted in among others, the fact that public policy outputs and effects affect those to whom the policy is targeted at. This study aimed to determine the effect of public participation in the public policy making process in Mombasa County, Kenya. The objectives of the research were; to establish the modes of citizen participation used in public policy making process in Mombasa County, Kenya; to determine the main factors that influence citizen participation in public policy making process; to establish the implication of citizen participation in public policy making process and to determine the extent of citizen/ public participation in public policy making process. The study was guided by Good Governance Theory. The study utilized descriptive survey research design. The study targeted 560 Coun...

2013

In the last two decades, a number of discourses on democratic governance and development in the developing countries position citizen participation as a public accountability mechanism. Most countries have adopted decentralization governance reforms to enable local citizens to influence government policies and services. Literature on decentralization shows weak coherence on how public accountability works to achieve local development and democracy consolidation. Hence, the research study proposes a citizen participation model that should be used in investigating citizen based public accountability in policy making. The evaluation study intends to measure the extent to which citizen participation influences public accountability in local policy making in Malawi; using an evaluation framework based on the suggested citizen participation model. The evaluation investigated the influence of citizen participation in the making of the Lilongwe City Development Strategy (2009). It used qualitative research design and a case study of Ngwenya, a peri-urban area in Lilongwe City. The study used a clarificative evaluation approach. The study found that there is poor citizen participation to influence public accountability in local policy making in Malawi. The findings depict that the conceptualization of citizen participation model should underpin policy principles and associate laws to frame contextual base that helps decentralization benefits reach the local citizens. The report suggests that to improve public accountability through citizen participation primarily there should be: i) clear social, constitutional or political contracts between local government and citizens; ii) adherence to democratic governance; and iii) consistent alignment of programme implementation to assumed contexts in their design.

2015

This article focuses on a study that explored citizen participation in the planning and policy processes in Lesotho with specific reference to Qacha's Nek. Qacha's Nek is one of the districts classified as a remote mountain area of Lesotho and is characterised by a low population density, and in most cases, can be viewed as predominantly rural with a need to develop and focus on policy development and planning. In Lesotho, citizen participation has been encouraged by the different governments since the era of Moshoeshoe in 1824. Since then, Lesotho has gone through many changes and different styles of government until local government was formally established in 2005. Since 2005, one of the main objectives of local government is to promote citizens' participation in decision-making, planning and the implementation of developmental programmes. This article supports the theoretical framework that citizen participation in policy and planning processes is important, since it...

This is a revised version of a conference presentation that was delivered by the author. The paper is based on a review of literature on policy capture and public interest theory.

Участь громадськості у формуванні та реалізації державної політики, 2014

The article is about the problems of public participation in the formulation and implementation of national policy. The possible forms of public participation are concerned and the shortcomings of the Procedure for public consultation on the formulation and implementation of national policy are analyzed. In particular the dialectic of form and content of communication with the public is investigated. Public wants to be heard, so the degree of public participation and activity depends on the extent of government power to appreciate such position. So the guidelines for education and development of the activity of society worked out in some of the rules of the game to communicate with the public. Here we are talking about establishing institutional mechanisms for public participation. Government has to show the desire and expect public participation by itself. Therefore the public participation process is not independent, but it is a consequence of the authorities` attitude to the local problems and the public institution as a whole. The article also shows the basic postulates how to defer to public opinion in state decision-making. In addition, public factor is offered to design in implementing the state policy of each department of the local executive. In particular, it is recommended to have at least one expert in the each unit manning board of the local executive authority to pursue a course of "the promotion of civil society"; respective roles should be reflected in the provisions of subdivisions and job descriptions of the workers; the costs of organizing and holding the community involvement shall be estimated separately in the expenses budget for the maintenance. A specification of the deferring to public opinion mechanism in forming out and implementing public policy is also recommended to be expected from the lawmakers.

Citizen engagement ensures community involvement in decision making on matters that affect them or in which they have an interest. Citizen engagement enhances the legitimacy of the Governments. Policymaking process in the present world must now take into consideration the involment of ordinary citizens in setting policy agenda as a key player and not as a target. There are many advantages of involving citizens in every stage of policymaking such as creation of better policy implementation environment, enhance government legitimacy and development of policies that are pro-poor. The citizen-centric worldview approach in policymaking should now given much attentions by developing countries by empowering citizens to understand better approaches to engage in policymaking as explained above. The situation in Tanzania is astonishing because majority of its ordinary citizens are not engaged in any policymaking including the indirect approaches such as elections. People go to vote unaware that, through voting they indirectly chose or endorse a certain policy.

Deleted Journal, 2024

Citizen participation in policy decision-making is vital for ensuring transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in governance. This systematic literature review examines the relationship between citizen participation and policy legitimacy, exploring various factors influencing citizen involvement in decision-making processes. The analysis reveals a positive correlation between the level of citizen participation and the legitimacy of policies. Indicators such as public perception of fairness, support and acceptance, compliance with policy, trust in government institutions, perceived effectiveness of policies, transparency, and accountability contribute to policy legitimacy. Moreover, demographic, institutional, psychological, technological, and cultural factors play significant roles in shaping citizen participation. The findings underscore the importance of inclusive and effective citizen engagement in enhancing policy legitimacy, strengthening democracy, and fostering responsive governance.