Building Trust and Reciprocity through Citizen Participation and Transparency: Lessons from Municipal Governments of Uganda and Thailand

Abstract

New governance dynamics are pushing government and its agencies to explore and enhance participatory governance practices at all levels as well as developing and encouraging new partnerships with civil society organizations and other non-state actors. This arrangement however takes participation for granted and does not illustrate how and when it can be meaningful. This article was informed by a study that examined, in a comparative framework and in relation to the expectations created by theory, the extent to which citizen participation reciprocates into trust and transparency in Uganda and Thai municipal governments. Although citizen participation and empowerment are interrelated governance concepts, the study established considerable overlaps between the two. Empowering citizens to understand their stakes and leverage in the local governance processes, and how to make their voices count was concluded to be the missing link in Uganda and Thailand municipal governments. Moreover, without providing citizens with relevant and complete information in user-friendly formats, participation may remain a public display but in reality a surrogate for mere politics with little in terms of citizen trust and reciprocity