Citizen Participation In Governance Research Articles

The Decentralised Governance in Kenya: Implications on Citizen Participation in the Local Governance

Abstract This study sought to examine the extent to which decentralisation efforts have affected citizen participation in local governance in Kenya. Survey research designs was employed. 371 questionnaires were administered and 16 interview conducted with key stakeholders. The findings revealed that decentralisation influences citizen participation in devolved Governance. 77.3% of the respondents agreed decentralization had promoted political entrepreneurship while 75% contended that decentralization had influenced citizen participation in development of policies and legislation. Moreover, 57.2% of the respondents felt that citizen participation in decentralized policy-making was high while 69% of the respondents were satisfied that decentralization had made it possible for citizens to participate in county budgeting. Only 49% approved the effectiveness of decentralization in promoting citizen participation in promoting participatory budgeting and planning process. The national and county governments should put in place measures to safeguard the independence of the counties in realizing the objective of citizen participation in governance.

Tools for Involving Citizens in Municipal Governance: Russia Case Study

The article considers the experience of citizens' involvement in municipal governance on the example of those regions of the Russian Federation, where the practices of budget initiation are implemented. Index of public participation for such regions is defined; qualitative and organizational aspects of citizen participation in governance at the municipal level are defined; the main tools of communication between citizens and authorities are analyzed. Despite the widespread availability of both online and offline tools for citizen participation in municipal government, civic engagement remains low, which is explained by the insufficient level of communication between municipal authorities and citizens.

Towards Interactive Governance: Embedding Citizen Participation in Local Government

In this article, we explore the embedding of citizen participation in local government. Our study combines and synthesizes the focal aspects of two theoretical streams—citizen participation and interactive governance—in a novel way to identify, illustrate, and analyze the layers of governance required for citizen participation. The analysis shows how the institutional pervasiveness and holistic nature of citizen participation affects the strategic, executive, and citizen interface layers of governance and their interconnections. The research contributes to the literature on embedding citizen participation in government by emphasizing the need to address citizen participation as a profound question of governance and management.

Lokalna demokratija i oblici direktnog učešća građana u vlasti - primer Srbija

The subject of this paper is the institutions of direct democracy at the local level in Serbia, with the aim of analyzing valid solutions (de lege lata) and improving the legal framework (de lege ferenda). The author starts from the thesis that local democracy is an ambiguous and imprecise term. In a broader sense, it represents the right of citizens to participate in government at the local level. In a narrower sense, this term is used as a synonym for local self-government (decentralization) and direct participation of citizens in government. On the other hand, tradition, socio-economic assumptions, legal (normative) framework and political environment are factors that influence local democracy. Apart from the election of local government representatives (representative local democracy), the basic institutional channels of local democracy are forms of direct citizen participation of citizens in decision-making, such as referendum and people's initiative. The application of institutions of direct democracy can be one of the indicators of the level of development of local self-government and local democracy. In the Republic of Serbia, institutional mechanisms for direct citizen participation in local self-government have been created, such as referendums, citizens' initiatives, and assembly of citizens (zbor). In addition, citizens have the right to petition and publicly criticize the authorities, the right to be heard on the authorities' intentions and the right to be informed about and monitor the work of the authorities. The local referendum is enshrined in the Constitution and other institutions are regulated by legal provisions. The quality of these regulations improved after the adoption of the new Law on Referendums and People's Initiative (2021). However, in local self-government units, the scope of these institutions of direct democracy is very limited low. The practice of direct local democracy is very poor, although there is a long tradition of struggle for local self-government in the 19th century. Such a situation is a consequence of the party state that multiplies the centralized way of decision-making, which is manifested in limited participation of citizens in political processes, increasing distrust in political institutions and ineffective control of the authorities in local self-government units. The crisis of democracy also manifests itself in the fact that citizens are less and less interested in public policy. Based on empirical data, comparative experiences and legal standards, the author believes that the solution lies in reviving the application of direct democracy at the local level.

The mixed effects of e‐participation on the dynamic of trust in government: Evidence from Cameroon

AbstractRegular participation of citizens in governance and policy processes has been considered critical to the functioning of the democratic model of governance. While recent studies have documented the emergence and evolution of participatory governance in Western countries, little is known about the influence of citizens’ participation on e‐governance in African countries. Leveraging an original survey conducted in Cameroon on citizens’ participation in and satisfaction with a Facebook‐based e‐participation initiative, this study explores how participation in the governance process through the Internet has affected African citizens’ trust in their local and national governments. The results first suggest a weak positive association between citizens’ e‐participation and their trust in governments. However, further decomposition of the positive association between satisfaction, performance, and trust shows that their relationships are critically enhanced by citizens’ participation in e‐governance, suggesting that the trust‐enchancing impact of e‐participation is likely to be dominated by indirect effects. The results also indicate that the moderating mechanism is likely to differ between citizens’ trust in the local and national governments, which sheds light on the understanding of the effects of e‐participation for both academics and practitioners.[Correction added on 14 February 2023, after first online publication: The section “Summary at a glance” should not have been included. It has been removed.]Points for practitioners Novel participatory governance initiatives such as e‐Participation could enhance trust in the government, but such an effect is likely to be precipitated indirectly. e‐Participation positively affects people’s trust in their government primarily by reinforcing the trust‐enhancing effect of satisfaction with the participatory program and perceived performance of the government. The effect of e‐Participation on trust in government is also positively moderated by citizens' satisfaction with the participatory program and perceived performance of the government.

PROMOTING CITIZEN PARTICIPATION FOR EFFECTIVE AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE

Purpose: To achieve the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strong political leadership, willingness to change and effective outcome-based governance will be required. Governments must align national policies with the SDGs' scope and complexity. Effective governance is critical to achieving the 17 goals. Good governance will help by creating an environment conducive to collective action, holding actors accountable, and dealing with emerging complex trade-offs between goals. The Kenya Vision 2030's political pillar is "a democratic political system that is issue-based, people-centred, result-oriented, and accountable to the public." This highlights the importance of citizen participation in governance. This study delved into what can be done to promote citizen participation to enhance effective and accountable governance in Kenya.
 Design/methodology/approach applied: Herein, a literature review approach, drawing from published peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature (working papers, reports from credible databases of research institutions, and official government documents) was employed to elucidate discussions and conclusions.
 Main findings: Tightening the democracy-education nexus, which aims at awareness creation and capacity building, is critical to promoting citizen participation and improving effective and accountable governance. Education promotes political interests and fosters civic skills thereby increasing the likelihood of political participation. An effective civic education teaches citizens about their rights and responsibilities as citizens, as well as the functioning of the government. Civic education in a democracy is self-government education. Democratic self-government entails citizens actively participating in their governance rather than passively accepting the dictums or demands of others. Education, on the other hand, should be linked to inclusivity and diversity. 
 Practical implications: There is a need to develop an informed and empowered citizenry capable of successfully engaging in governance affairs to influence governance outcomes in the best interests of the community and posterity. Capacity building, similarly, should be an ongoing process incorporated into the community participatory framework or institutions at various administrative levels. Furthermore, training must be sensitive to, and target or capture, the community's various social categories' concerns and needs.
 Originality/value: While acknowledging the importance of addressing the status quo and need for citizen participation in governance, this study also delves into mechanisms that can be used to promote citizen participation in an intergenerational and intersectional manner while keeping in mind Kenya's national development blueprint, Vision 2030, as well as the United Nations' Agenda 2030 to "Leave No One, No Place Behind."

Country-led monitoring and evaluation systems through the lens of participatory governance and co-production: Implications for a Made in Africa Evaluation approach

Background: The history of evaluations on the African continent can be linked to the introduction of upward systems of accountability resulting from the rapid introduction of international aid programmes for the (re)building of African states during the post-independence era. Results-based management and monitoring and evaluation (ME) became commonplace, the features of which continue to imbue national ME systems across the continent. These systems, if not intentionally so designed and implemented, are not particularly focused on learning for course-correction and performance improvement from the perspective of citizens. Conducting evaluations, in particular, is often based on the need for accountability to funders or decision-makers, as opposed to downward accountability to the public and intended beneficiaries of the interventions.Objectives: This article explores how localised approaches to governance (merged with co-production) could ensure that evaluation systems are liberatory if they are endogenous and indigenous in their design and respond to the needs of citizens (rather than serving an upward accountability agenda).Method: Through the analytical framework of participatory governance and co-production, this article examines how participatory approaches to establishing national evaluation (and monitoring) systems may help the African continent liberate itself from the instrumental adoption of ME systems, defined by compliance and accountability, and instead design systems based on a citizen-owned, people-centred notion of downward accountability.Results: Participatory governance and co-production are well aligned to the principles of MAE (Made in Africa Evaluation) and may provide the means to arriving at more inclusive forms of ME systems development and, concomitantly, more inclusive ways of producing and using evidence for policy, governance and development on a national scale.Conclusion: Although desirable due its potential to transform systems of governance to become more citizen-centred, co-production must not be romanticised nor over-simplified. Increasing levels of citizen participation in governance must consider that there are significant changes that need to be made to institutional structures and processes, such as new forms of accountability, governance, systems and structures for citizen involvement. Therefore, a combination of practical, technical, ideological, relational and political factors must be considered in the adoption of more participatory approaches in establishing national ME systems.

Are we moving towards a managerial model of e-governance? building a case for citizen centric e-participation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Exploring the various information and communication technology measures adopted by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure ‘good and effective governance’ of the province, this paper aims to understand how far such e-governance initiatives endorse citizen’s participation in governance and what limitations are problematizing the quest for citizen engagement through such measures. The paper primarily explores and examines the service provider’s perspective through in-depth interviews with officials from KP Government’s IT focused departments. Applying the theoretical framework developed by Chadwick and May (2003), the paper argues that the KP government’s more than 140 plus IT based applications are mostly electronic versions of paper-based information posted on the websites, which makes it an information dissemination system rather than a fully interactive technology. There is little comprehension about ‘citizen engagement’ through e-government initiatives among bureaucrats and e-governance is largely seen as a one-sided provision of official information; citizen access to government services; or their access to the online complaint mechanisms. Officials also recognize that shortfall of essential infrastructure; public awareness deficits; accessibility issues; a lack of public trust in online service delivery mechanisms, and doubts over timely official response; all confound meaningful citizen participation in governance through the ICTs.

Research on Citizen Participation in Government Ecological Environment Governance Based on the Research Perspective of "Dual Carbon Target".

As the people's demand for a better life is getting higher and higher, citizens' requirements for the rural ecological environment are also constantly improving. At present, the deterioration of many rural environments and the cross-flow of sewage have brought great challenges to the governance of the rural ecological environment. Therefore, the improvement in the ability and level of rural ecological environment governance is the key to winning the battle of rural ecological environment governance, and the participation of citizens in rural ecological environment governance is even more crucial to the improvement in the ability and level of rural ecological environment governance. At present, academic achievements on rural ecological environment governance are increasingly enriched, but there are few academic achievements on rural ecological environment governance from the perspective of citizen participation. Since public participation in ecological environment governance is still in the initial stage of development, there are many factors that affect the effective implementation and development of public participation in the ecological environment. For example, various factors such as the imperfect legal system related to citizens' participation in rural ecological environment governance, weak awareness of citizen participation, and difficulty in determining the methods of citizen participation seriously hinder citizens' participation. Improve the theme awareness and ability of citizens to participate in ecological environment governance and to improve the citizen participation mechanism in my country's rural ecological environment governance. By analyzing and discussing the problems and countermeasures of public participation in environmental governance in my country, it is of positive significance to promote citizens' participation in ecological environmental governance.

ICT AND THE PROSPECT OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC

Abstract: The assumption in any democratic order is that governance is hinged on a reciprocal relationship between the leaders and the led. That is, the leadership responsiveness and accountability to the people on one hand, and the increasing participation in forms of demand and support from the people in government business on the other hand. This symbiotic relationship provides the platform that drives democracy which presupposes development. In Nigeria, following the return to civil rule in 1999, the country has witnessed continual citizen participation in governance which has gone a long way in enhancing leadership quality and development. This article argues that one way in which this has been done is the ever-rising use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in the democratic space. Its deployment in different areas of governance has contributed to opening the democratic space, thus creating greater freedom and access to governmental machinery by the citizens and enhances the socio-political mobilization and participation necessary for functional operation of the government. Attempt is made to examine the use of various products of ICT, especially, social media and blogosphere in making demands of accountability and openness on the government by the citizenry. It maps out the existential obstacles to the use of ICT and its misuse in governance in Nigeria.
 Keywords: Information; Governance; ICT; Democratic; Accountability

Citizen participation as a tool for creating an effective e-Governance system in Iraq

In a resource abundant environment, the people of Iraq have no right in the governance system. Thus, Iraq faces significant challenges in E-governance. In order to enhance E-governance and transparency in Iraq there is a need for creating an E-governance system that can motivate citizen participation in governance in the long-run.
 Citizen participation is not effective, similar to the case of many other resource-rich countries in the Middle East and Africa. Since 2003, the Iraqi government has tried to tackle transparency, open governance, e-elections and e-governance; however, it failed. The failure may be attributed to different factors but the most crucial and influential one is lack of citizen participation. If people nurture E-governance, their collective effort will support government’s effort in building a strong E-governance system. The main question for this study is; how can citizen participation contribute in nurturing E-governance in the case of Iraq?
 This study outlines the role of effective citizen participation in creating E-governance in Iraq; this is a quantitative study Primary data collected from 100 participants was analyzed for this purpose. This study is composed of three main parts; the first part highlights theoretical perspective of Egovernance in Iraq, and citizen participation. The second part focuses on discussing the data on egovernance. The final session of this study deals with the findings, and conclusions.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN BUDGETARY PROCESSES IN NIGERIA: MYTH OR REALITY

Citizen participation in governance processes is critical for sustaining the development of any society. Citizen participation in budgetary processes is a system of promoting efficient and responsive government by having citizens input into resource allocation decisions. The paper noted that citizen-participation in governance is at its lowest in the nation. This paper is qualitative in nature, relying on secondary data, such as textbooks, journals, official documents etc. The paper is anchored on stakeholders’ theory which argues that citizen participation is a pillar of democracy and is necessary for a sustainable democracy. As a result, it gives every individual opportunity to influence and change political, social, economic and public decisions and allows citizens to be an important part of the democratic decision-making in Nigeria. It observed that since the return of democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999, efforts at participatory governance have never received the full backing of the ruling class, because they see it as a threat to their collective interest. The paper examines the mature of budgetary process in Nigeria, and states that participatory budgeting could be an important tool that can be used to encourage active citizenship in the transformation and development of their community. It concludes that the quality of democracy depends on how far people can participate in and influence the governance process. Citizen participation is critical for democratic decision-making and ensuring transparency and accountability.

O Cipriano Barata e Frei Caneca no Correio do Rio de Janeiro (1823): a disseminação do republicanismo cívico na Corte

Based on the concepts of modernity of the public space,of liberal exileand Hispanic American experience, the present article intends to examine Cipriano Barata's and Frei Caneca's transcripts in Correio do Rio de Janeiro,in 1823, while its editor João Soares Lisboa was in prison for beingaccused of “colluding with Republicans”. These editions discussed civic virtues, the Emperor's morality, and the idealization of what Soares Lisboa called a “Monarchical-Democratic” government and disseminated, in the Court, the ruling centerof the Empire, a project forBrazil that foughtthe Upper House and defended provincial autonomy in a federal arrangement, with broad citizen participation in government, formation of militias and restrictionofthe monarch’s powers.

Design of Government-Citizen Participation Model for Sustainable eGovernment Ecosystem- Indian Context

Design of Government-Citizen Participation Model for Sustainable eGovernment Ecosystem- Indian Context

Public Value Motivations for Debt Issuance in America’s Cities

Although contemporary public administration and management scholarship has given much attention to public values that inform public decisions, research on the public values that motivate debt issuance is scant. However, understanding the public values that motivate local governments’ debt issuance can contribute to excellence in public service delivery, impact governance, and enhance citizen participation in government as well as public managers’ overall behavior. The present article examines public values that motivate debt issuance by using case studies of seven large U.S. cities over a 4-year period (2016–2019). It employs an interpretivist rather than a positivist approach in the empirical investigations. The findings reveal that debt issuance in U.S. cities is motivated by a range of public values that reflect expected public outcomes related to community resilience, local productivity, and human development. Local public managers must consider contemporary public values when making critical decisions about long-term debt issuance, given the importance of such decisions for the sustainability of U.S. cities.

The Role of Participatory Budgeting in Forming an Ecosystem of Civic Participation in State and Municipal Governance

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the ecosystem approach as a basis for building a model
 of citizen participation in state and municipal governance, manifested in the laws of the Russian
 Federation, strategic planning documents, and other regulations, as well as in participatory practices
 of budget decisions. The ecosystem of citizen participation in governance is an urgent need for the
 modern stage of development of civil society and the entire complex of state–civil relations in Russia.
 The creation of such an ecosystem can increase the efficiency of state and municipal governance,
 include citizens and civil society institutions in the process of selecting priorities for the actions of
 public authorities, and reduce the protest potential caused by the lack of a comprehensive toolkit for
 citizen participation in governance. Among the first steps toward the formation of this ecosystem is the
 development of a federal law on public participation in governance. This law should become the basis
 for the inclusion in sectoral legislation of provisions governing relations between public authorities and
 citizens directly involved in decision-making on state and municipal governance issues. An important
 role in the deployment of the ecosystem is played by the development and implementation of a set of
 measures aimed at including the issues of citizen participation in the activities of state programs and
 national projects of the Russian Federation, implemented at all levels of public authority. The article
 also defines the basic principles of the development of the civic participation ecosystem.

Participación ciudadana a través de los medios de comunicación como legitimación de la democracia participativa en Colombia

Colombia, como Estado Social de Derecho que es, se rige por una filosofía y unos principios propios de la democracia participativa con fundamento en la Constitución de 1991; esto trajo consigo toda una serie de roles y herramientas para garantizar la participación de los ciudadanos en la gestión pública. Con la participación ciudadana el gobierno busca que los ciudadanos ejerzan vigilancia, acompañamiento y control a las diferentes acciones de funcionarios e instituciones públicas donde intervenga la autoridad gubernamental. Es por esto que a diario se dialoga más sobre lo público, derivando esto en iniciativas y estrategias jurídicas y políticas para garantizar la participación del ciudadano. Esta idea de hacer partícipe de la gestión pública al ciudadano encuentra un apoyo fundamental en los medios de comunicación. El rol de los medios es tan fundamental como herramienta para propiciar la participación ciudadana que no es un exabrupto afirmar que si la información de las decisiones públicas no le llega apropiadamente a la ciudadanía, debido a falencias o deficiencias en cómo una administración pública utiliza los medios y canales de comunicación, podría cuestionarse hasta qué punto se puede hablar de una democracia realmente participativa. Por todo esto, resulta de vital importancia en una sociedad democrática gozar de un escenario mediático plural, donde existan todas las voces y fuentes posibles para que la verdad y el poder no supongan una fusión. Colombia, como Estado Social de Derecho que es, se rige por una filosofía y unos principios propios de la democracia participativa con fundamento en la Constitución de 1991; esto trajo consigo toda una serie de roles y herramientas para garantizar la participación de los ciudadanos en la gestión pública. Con la participación ciudadana el gobierno busca que los ciudadanos ejerzan vigilancia, acompañamiento y control a las diferentes acciones de funcionarios e instituciones públicas donde intervenga la autoridad gubernamental. Es por esto que a diario se dialoga más sobre lo público, derivando esto en iniciativas y estrategias jurídicas y políticas para garantizar la participación del ciudadano. Esta idea de hacer partícipe de la gestión pública al ciudadano encuentra un apoyo fundamental en los medios de comunicación. El rol de los medios es tan fundamental como herramienta para propiciar la participación ciudadana que no es un exabrupto afirmar que si la información de las decisiones públicas no le llega apropiadamente a la ciudadanía, debido a falencias o deficiencias en cómo una administración pública utiliza los medios y canales de comunicación, podría cuestionarse hasta qué punto se puede hablar de una democracia realmente participativa. Por todo esto, resulta de vital importancia en una sociedad democrática gozar de un escenario mediático plural, donde existan todas las voces y fuentes posibles para que la verdad y el poder no supongan una fusión.

Designing conceptual model and statistical validation for Government-citizen participation model in Indian context

In developing countries eGovernment projects sustainability is being considered as new parameter for development across the world. Though strategic guidance is available from various agencies to overcome its associated challenges and have its smooth implementation, however developing countries doesn’t reflect much progress. The study conducted in this paper has made an attempt in collating pivotal role citizen plays in sustainability of eGovernment projects. Conceptual model prepared consists of eminent factors and once responses are collated at regular frequency it contributes in important decision making for policy makers and top management. The case study of an eGovernment Project- Income Tax have been included as part of paper and their transformation in delivery of services through ICT platform has been evaluated from sustainability perspective. In this study a model has been created as Government-Citizen Participation model for sustainable eGovernment projects for developing countries coupled with demographic conditions. A questionnaire has been distributed to 550 respondents and valid data for 450 respondents could be collected. The valid data is then empirically validated for model prepared in Indian context using PLS. The model prepared could be used in identifying the gap areas and taking appropriate steps well in time as per the project stage for similar studies in this context.

1999’dan 2002 Genel Seçimlerine Giden Süreçte Türkiye’de Kritik Yeniden Saflaşma Ve Kritik Seçim Teorisi Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Seçimler, demokratik toplumlarda vatandaşların yönetime katılımının sağlanması ve hükümetin kurulması için önemli ve vazgeçilmez bir araçtır. Seçimler sonunda seçmenlerin oylarıyla bürokratik ya da siyasi görevleri üstlenecek ve iş başına gelecek kişiler belirlenir. Ancak seçimler, yalnızca bir seçme eylemi değildir zira bir sürecin parçasını da oluşturmaktadır. Dolayısı ile seçmenin oy verme davranışları çeşitli faktörlere göre değişirken; bu faktörlerin hangi çerçevede değiştiğinin anlaşılması seçmenlerin kritik yeniden saflaşmaları ve kritik seçimlerin ortaya çıkmasının anlaşılması için önemlidir. Kritik seçim teorisi, seçim dönemlerinde seçmenlerin süregiden bir durumu ani ve radikal bir biçimde değiştirecek yeniden saflaşmasını ifade eder. Kritik yeniden saflaşmalar ve kritik seçimler sonucunda seçime giren partilerin önceki seçimlere göre oyları artar veya oylarda radikal bir azalma yaşanır. Bu teoriye göre seçmenlerin oy verme davranışı oy verilen partiye duyulan memnuniyetsizlik, sosyo-ekonomik durum, dış politika, seçmen psikolojisi, lider etkisi veya seçim zamanlarında partilerin kullandıkları söylemler gibi birçok etmene göre değişebilmektedir. Türkiye’de 1999’dan 2002’ye giden süreçte ekonomik, siyasi ve toplumsal alanlarda gerçekleşen iç ve dış dinamikler, seçmenlerin oy kullanma tercihi üzerinde etkili olmuştur. Bu bağlamda bu makalede kritik yeniden saflaşma ve kritik seçim teorisi ışığında Türkiye’de 18 Nisan 1999 genel seçimlerinden 3 Kasım 2002 genel seçimlerine giden süreç, iç ve dış dinamikler çerçevesinde incelenmiştir. Çalışmada öncelikle kritik yeniden saflaşma ve kritik seçim teorisi üzerinde durulmuştur. Ardından Türkiye’de belirtilen süreçte iç ve dış dinamikler ayrıntılı olarak incelenmiştir. Bu çalışmada, seçimlerden başarılı bir sonuç alan Genç Parti ve Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi üzerinden bir değerlendirme sunulmuştur. Genç Parti’nin yükselişi ve Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi’nin koalisyon hükümetlerinin ardından tek parti hükümeti kurması konu bağlamında analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada Türkiye’de 1999 ve 2002 genel seçimlerinin siyasi, ekonomik, sosyal yapısını iç ve dış dinamikler bağlamında çözümlemek, “kritik yeniden saflaşma” ve “kritik seçim” ile ilgili kavramsal ve metodolojik tartışmanın ana hatlarını oluşturmaktadır.

Participatory governance in Ireland: Institutional innovation and the quest for joined-up thinking

Abstract At a time when governments are grappling with increasingly complex problems, state-led participatory processes that facilitate citizen and community voice in decision-making and policymaking have become more common at national, regional and local government levels. In Ireland, citizen participation in government has achieved prominence in the last thirty years with the introduction of social partnership and more recent establishment of multiple and diverse forms of participatory governance, nationally, regionally and locally. This paper offers a critique of the evolution and operation of local participatory governance in Ireland. The paper argues that to be effective, participatory governance requires strong and inclusive participatory processes at all levels of government, a clear ideological and policy basis, a coherent ‘joined-up’ programme and receptive institutional foundations.