A public participation process is designed and implemented in four discreet stages, as outlined below.
1) Preliminary Design
- Situation analysis
- Decision process
- Information exchange
- Public and stake-holders
- Planning team
- Approvals
2) Developing the Plan
- Establish objectives
- Identify and address major issues
- Identify and involve the stakeholders
- Choose techniques
- Prepare to provide and receive information
- Develop critical path
- Budget, staff, resources, logistics, roles and responsibilities
- Prepare to give and get feedback
3) Implementation
- Follow the critical path
- Apply techniques
- Provide and receive information
- Monitor the process
4) Feedback
- Report to decision makers
- Report to participants
- Evaluate the overall process
Techniques
A number of emerging public participation techniques provide the opportunity for shared engagement, which has been difficult to achieve with traditional techniques. Traditional techniques include print publications, public meetings, open houses, advisory committees, workshops, bilateral meetings, and focus groups. Emerging techniques include open space technology, future search conferences, policy dialogue, and a suite of electronic techniques. In general, emerging techniques offer more in-depth opportunities for dialogue and collaboration, with emphasis on value exploration and reaching consensus on shared outcomes in complex situations. It should be noted that public servants and community groups have numerous opportunities to interact with each other, exchange information and gain a better understanding of each other’s views and interests.
Citizen participation is mainly seen as an instrument to strengthen and support the way representative democracy is functioning now. The local or national government should take and keep the initiative in policy-making. Initiatives ought to be taken from above. The process of involving citizens in politics and policy-making should not lead to the erosion of the primacy of the representative institutions. The central focus of thought is not on citizens, but on the government. The role of participation is mainly an instrumental one. That is, its main objective is to give citizens and their organizations a say in the official political process. Participation is not regarded as a value in itself, but is merely aimed at producing a government.
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