Index

Abstract

Civic disengagement has left us with a dangerous chasm between political institutions and the public. This book sets out why and how governments should reconnect with the citizens they serve, both for the sake of democratic legitimacy and public service improvement. It brings together a team of academic experts and public policy leaders to examine the pros and cons of different approaches to develop effective state-citizen cooperation. While there is a role for activities which are designed to bypass the state by leaving matters to private organisations, or pressurise it through lobbying or protesting, no democratic society can function well unless citizens and their government are able to work in partnership in defining and pursuing the public interest. Drawing on extensive research and practical experience of participatory engagement, civic co-production, deliberative democracy, citizenship education, community empowerment from around the world, as well as the UK’s nationwide action-learning programme for civil renewal, ‘Together We Can’, this book analyses the pitfalls and obstacles that need to be anticipated and overcome, and puts forward clear recommendations for achieving sustainable improvements in how state bodies and citizens can secure the common good.