Citizen Participation In Governance Essay

With the emergence of New Public Governance, there is a shift in the ways that government agencies interact with each other and their interactions with various organizations and individuals in the civil society (Ryan, 2013). This has led to the creation of new management ideas such as collaboration, partnership, networks, participation and co-production over the years. According to Ryan (2013), there is a change from vertical forms of public administrations focusing on outputs into horizontal structures collaborating for desired outcomes, involving not just high level public officials but complex networks of multiple interest groups. This paper will present some important implications related to participation by citizens and co-production of …show more content…
The citizen participation in governance is essential for enhancing public confidence in governing institutions, formulating state policies based on people’s needs, and receiving necessary feedback on people’s reactions to such policies (Haque, 2003). Citizen participation at community level can be in different forms, such as involvement in decision-making, opportunity to vote major policy mandates, use of informal means like the media to influence state policies, and direct representation in local politics and administration (Haque, 2003). Although community-level participation happens at the lower level of state power, participation based on direct representation or involvement of citizens at various levels of power hierarchy is more concrete and effective. Therefore, the direct representation of citizens is considered one of the most effective modes of participation in institutions such as legislature, cabinet, and bureaucracy (Haque, …show more content…
The development of such capacity and skills requires both a coherent public sector framework and sufficient funding. Social capital has been identified as an important factor in co-production. Cummins and Miller (2007) argues that the stock of social capital that an individual has is a major influence on their ability to be effective co-producers. We must also take into account what resources the service system requires people to draw on when they want to gain access to and use its services. In the long run, co-production can strengthen communities and build social capital. Co-production strengthens social capital through community involvement and civic participation (OECD, 2011). It also enhances trust and shared values, which are the basis for active citizenship (OECD,