Contrasting the Perceptions About Citizen Participation Between Organized Civil Society and Government with an Open Government Approach: The Case of the State of Jalisco, Mexico

Abstract

The concept of Citizen Participation is increasingly being used by politicians, public officials and civil society. Citizen participation is a topic of debate about its relevance and implementation mechanisms. On the other hand, citizen participation is a core part of the idea of Open Government as an element that configures a novel public management strategy. Open Government strategies are being assumed by public administration at different levels of government, but also by civil society organizations that are involved in issues of citizen participation. However, there is a diversity about how the concept is used by different social sectors. In this sense, it is pertinent to know how this concept is perceived among the main sectors that trigger citizen participation. It is important to know these perceptions because the dispersion of the concept entails a gap between the aspirations, expectations and objectives of public policies that promote citizen participation. The objective of this research is to analyze citizen participation from the perspectives of two fundamental sectors in the political-social participation process: Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and Government. To contrast the perspectives of the two sectors, the case of the State of Jalisco, Mexico is studied. This research shows the results of a survey administrated to members of CSO and public officials involved in open government actions. In order to contrast ideas and assessments, two dimensions are established for its analysis: a)open government, and b) citizen participation. The results show a considerable gap between the perceptions of public officials and organized civil society.