Increase Citizen Participation Research Articles

Networking Democracy: Brazilian Internet Freedom Activism and the Influence of Participatory Democracy

This ethnographic study examines the pioneering tactics Brazilian Internet freedom activists have used to defend what they refer to as the Internet livre – a free and open Internet. In particular, it explores how the concept of participatory democracy – a governing philosophy that strives to broaden opportunities for citizens to make meaningful contributions in policy decisions beyond voting in elections – has uniquely informed Brazilian activist initiatives. Fighting for more participatory democracy was a hallmark of left wing social movements and labor unions working in the 1970s and 1980s to end the military dictatorship (1964-1985) as they sought to radically challenge elite control of the state by incorporating previously marginalized groups into the political system. Thus, Internet freedom activists are now applying this philosophy to the development of Internet policy and governance. Specifically, this study examines the crowdsourcing of a national Internet rights law, the Brazilian Internet Civil Rights Framework (Marco Civil da Internet), and the institutional structure of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (Comite Gestor da Internet no Brasil). However, while proponents of participatory democracy contend that increased citizen participation leads to more socially equitable policy, scholars have also noted how participatory initiatives that do not actually redistribute power have frequently reproduced the preexisting socioeconomic inequalities of the larger society. This research substantiates this claim and exposes the many shortcomings of participatory initiatives in light of powerful corporate interests that continue to dominate the development of Internet policy in Brazil. This study is based on more than 20 months of multi-sited ethnographic research conducted over four years in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo, and Brasilia between 2010 and 2014. The methods used were long-term participant observation, semi-structured interviews with activists and policymakers, and in-depth analysis of activist publications and official documents.

The Role of Citizen Participation and the Use of Social Media Platforms in the Participatory Budgeting Process

ABSTRACTIn the United States participatory budgeting (PB) is a relatively new and innovative approach to municipal budgeting that has implications for improving the role of citizen participation in the budgetary process. The research is based on personal interviews with local community leaders involved in the PB process in the 49th Ward of Chicago, Illinois; the 6th Ward of St. Louis, Missouri; and the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Highlights are provided of the specific experiences and perceptions of these community leaders with a particular emphasis on the use of social media platforms in engaging citizens in the PB process. This article concludes with recommendations for creating a PB infrastructure, for increasing citizen participation in the PB process, and for assessing and increasing the impact of PB in cities within the United States.

State-Society Dynamics in Contemporary Brazilian Land Reform

Over the past 15 years, land reform has returned from the “dustbin of history” to serve again as a viable policy option. Much has been written about its resurgence, with the research tending to focus narrowly on the role of prices, policies, and politics in shaping the design and outcome of distribution. While these are necessary elements to understand, their reification neglects the critical element of process. Land reform programs are implemented by an array of government actors and negotiated on the ground by beneficiaries, social movement activists, large farmers, and the general public. A messy assemblage of actors and interests shapes both the design and the outcome of distribution. Qualitative analysis of the federal agency in charge of land reform in Brazil, the Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform—INCRA), reveals that, in the context of increased citizen participation and reduced funding, the agency must work together with social movement activists to perform its task. The analysis suggests that the study of state-society relations today requires a new vocabulary that highlights substance and process rather than form.Nos últimos 15 anos, a reforma agrária foi resgatada do arquivo histórico para servir como opção políticamente viável. Muito se tem escrito sobre essa restauração. Pesquisas têm concentrado atenção no papel de preços, legislação e política no desenho e resultado da distribuição. Ainda que seja necessário entender esses elementos, sua ratificação ignora os elementos críticos do processo. Programas de reforma agrária são implementados por uma variedade de atores governamentais e negociados por beneficiários, ativistas de movimentos sociais, grandes agricultores e pelo público em geral. Um mosaico desengonçado de atores e interesses dão forma tanto ao desenho quanto ao resultado da distribuição. Análise qualitativa da agência federal responsável pela reforma agrária no Brasil, o Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (INCRA), revela que, no contexto de maior participação de cidadãos e de recursos reduzidos, é importante que a agência atue coordenadamente com ativistas de movimentos sociais para desempenhar seu papel. A análise sugere que o estudo das relações entre sociedade e Estado hoje exige um novo vocabulário que acentue mais a importância de substância e processo do que da forma.

Using adult education to improve the sustainability of water resources in the Pacific Northwest, USA

The purpose of this paper is to document actions taken by the public in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to improve the sustainability of their water resources since 2002. A survey instrument was used to collect these data in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Mail-based surveys containing between 45 and 60 questions were sent to over 2,200 randomly chosen adults in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Return rates in excess of 50% were received for each survey ensuring that the results were statistically valid. The 2002 survey results were used as base line data. Over 87% of the respondents undertook at least one voluntary action to protect the quantity of water resources based on the 2012 survey. Voluntary actions including installation of water saving appliances, changing water use in the yard, changing household water use and changing the way a vehicle was washed were taken by 70.2%, 49.2%, 64.3% and 32.1% of the survey respondents, respectively. Voluntary actions taken to protect water quality also improved in 2012 compared with the results of the 2002 and 2007 surveys. The percentage of respondents that improved home waste disposal practices improved their use of pesticides and/or fertilizers in their yards, and safely disposed of used motor oil in 2012 was 60.2%, 46.4% and 65.3%, respectively. Less than 14% and 19% of adults have not voluntarily addressed water quantity and water quality issues in their homes, respectively. Any activity that protects the integrity of water resources improves sustainability. The surveys conducted over a 10-year period show increasing citizen participation in efforts to protect water resources. Consequently, it appears that public education targeted at adults does work. Continued public education efforts targeted at adults over the next decade should continue to further increase public participation and the number of best management practices each citizen employs to protect their water resources. Compared with a traditional regulatory approach, the cost of public education to encourage the conservation and protection of water resources is a bargain. Consequently, the USA’s land grant universities and other governmental and non-government organizations that invest in adult education should continue to do so. From a taxpayer standpoint, this investment in water education is an efficient and wise use of money.

Concerns Management, E-Government and E-Participation

Advancements in internet technology have profoundly changed communication between citizens and government authorities. Concerns management systems and smartphone applications offer new and convenient channels of interaction. In Germany, the “Mängelmelder” platform offers a nationwide service channel for local citizens' concerns. Citizens generally use this communication channel for reporting public infrastructure defects. This paper examines whether the “Mängelmelder” platform – with customized systems can facilitate further citizen participation at the local level in Germany. Analysing different customized systems shows that possibilities for further use depend on the way in which local authorities handle the citizens' input. It could not be proven that offering an open category for citizens' recommendations (in a customized concerns management system) has an impact on further citizen participation. But using digital citizen services, such as concerns management platforms, can indeed facilitate increased citizen participation.

Adopting public values and climate change adaptation strategies in urban forest management: A review and analysis of the relevant literature

Urban trees are a dominant natural element in cities; they provide important ecosystem services to urban citizens and help urban areas adapt to climate change. Many rationales have been proposed to provide a purpose for urban forest management, some of which have been ineffective in addressing important ecological and social management themes. Among these rationales we find a values-based perspective, which sees management as a process where the desires of urban dwellers are met. Another perspective is climate change adaptation, which sees management as a process where urban forest vulnerability to climate change is reduced and resilience enhanced. Both these rationales have the advantage of complementing, enhancing, and broadening urban forest management objectives. A critical analysis of the literature on public values related to urban forests and climate change adaptation in the context of urban forests is undertaken to discuss what it means to adopt these two issues in urban forest management. The analysis suggests that by seeing urban forest management as a process by which public values are satisfied and urban-forest vulnerabilities to climate change are reduced, we can place issues such as naturalization, adaptive management, and engaging people in management at the centre of urban forest management. Focusing urban forest management on these issues may help ensure the success of programs focused on planting more trees and increasing citizen participation in urban forest management.

International Interventions to Build Social Capital: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Sudan

Increasingly the international community attempts to improve local public infrastructure in developing countries by creating more participatory local governance and social capital. We report on a randomized field experiment conducted in 24 communities (16 treated and 8 control) in rural Sudan. We offer a clearer theoretical statement of how these programs might alter the political landscape of the recipient villages. We measure norms using lab-in-the-field techniques and we measure network density with a survey of our 475 lab subjects. We appraise the participatory character of local governance and civic participation with a survey of 576 households. The program did not affect either networks or norms, but civic participation and the participatory nature of local governance increased. Thus we attribute the increase in citizen participation not to social capital growth but to more open local governing institutions.

Promotion Quality of Life by Increasing Place Attachment in Public Places

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the quality of urban life and place attachment and determine factors to create place attachment. The method of this research is qualitative-descriptive and analytic. Principles, criteria and some standards are prepared by the library resources. After analyzing the data that is collected through a survey (such deep interviews with residents of the neighborhood of Tehran and inventory) are adapted to the site. Finally, design strategies and policies are offered for creating place attachments, promoting social relationships, attracting residents and increasing citizen participation in urban and neighborhood issues.

READY: a web-based geographical information system for enhanced flood resilience through raising awareness in citizens

Abstract. As evidenced by the EU Floods Directive (2007/60/EC), flood management strategies in Europe have undergone a shift in focus in recent years. The goal of flood prevention using structural measures has been replaced by an emphasis on the management of flood risks using non-structural measures. One implication of this is that public authorities alone not only take responsibility for flood management. A broader range of stakeholders, who may personally experience the negative effects of flooding, also take on responsibility for protecting themselves. Therefore, it is vital that information concerning flood risks is conveyed to those who may be affected in order to facilitate the self-protection of citizens. Experience shows that problems persist even where efforts have been made to communicate flood risks. There is a need for the development of new tools that are able to rapidly disseminate flood-risk information to the general public. To be useful these tools must be able to present information relevant to the location of the user. Moreover, the content and design of the tool need to be adjusted to laypeople's needs. Dissemination and communication influence both people's access to and understanding of natural risk information. Such a tool could be a useful aid to effective management of flood risks. To address this gap, a web-based geographical information system (WebGIS) has been developed through the collaborative efforts of a group of scientists, hazard and risk analysts and managers, GIS analysts, system developers and communication designers. This tool, called "READY: Risk, Extreme Events, Adaptation, Defend Yourself", aims to enhance the general public knowledge of flood risk, making citizens more capable of responding appropriately during a flood event. The READY WebGIS has allowed for the visualization and easy querying of a complex hazard and risk database thanks to a high degree of interactivity and easily read maps. In this way, READY has enabled fast exploration of alternative flood scenarios or past calamitous events. Combined also with a system of graphic symbols designed ad hoc for communication of self-protection behaviours, it is believed READY could lead to an increase in citizen participation, informed discussion and consensus building. The platform has been developed for a site-specific application: the Basilicata region, Italy, has been selected as pilot application area. The goal of the prototype is to raise citizen awareness of flood risks and to build social capacity and enhanced resilience to flood events.

Gendered Governing? Women’s Leadership Styles and Participatory Institutions in Brazil

Previous research argues that the leadership styles of men and women differ significantly, with women’s styles being more inclusive and participatory. I test this argument by examining whether women elected officials are more likely to increase citizen participation using data on the adoption of two different types of participatory institutions in Brazilian municipalities: participatory budgeting and participatory policy councils. Results suggest that women leaders are not inherently more participatory than men. Rather, the decision to initiate participation in a certain policy area appears to be a strategic choice. Mayors of both genders are likely to initiate participation in policy areas that appeal to constituents of the opposite gender and counter stereotypes: men are more likely to adopt participatory councils for women’s rights, children’s rights, and health care, while women are more likely to adopt a council for sports. These findings suggest that women’s styles of leadership are not inherently more inclusive than men’s. It appears that strategy, rather than style, likely determines whether a leader will be more inclusive.

Experiencing interactive voice response (IVR) as a participatory medium: The case of CGNet Swara in India

With the widespread use of mobile phones in the developing world, interactive voice response (IVR) systems are increasingly accessible to people with low literacy and/or limited financial resources. Interest in using IVR systems as a means to increase citizen participation in society has increased. Yet, research exploring the potential of IVRs—with particular affordances, constraints, and norms—to facilitate citizen participation in society remains limited. Drawing on field data gathered as part of a study of CGNet Swara, an IVR-based citizen journalism platform in rural India, we introduce the concept of a “participatory IVR” and undertake a phenomenological inquiry to account for user interactions with the system.

Teoría de la modernización y movilizaciones sociales contemporáneas. El caso de las protestas brasileñas de junio de 2013

Many international analysts claimed that the Brazilian protests of June 2013 were a consequence of the country’s rapid economic growth over the past few years, the rise of new middle classes, the heighten of expectations on government, the increase of citizen participation and the weakness of political institutions to handle all the abovementioned situations. This explanation relied, explicitly or implicitly, on the modernization theory of Samuel P. Huntington, despite the fact more than forty years have gone by since the first appearance of Political order in changing societies (1968) –Huntington’s most famous book on the political impacts of modernization. The purpose of this paper is to question whether Huntington’s causality model actually explains the Brazilian protests. In order to do this, ethnographies of the protests that pay particular attention to their causes are contrasted with the model raised by Huntington.Based on the above, the scopes and limits of the modernization theory to explain contemporary social movements are discussed.

Can Developing Countries Both Decentralize and Depoliticize Urban Water Services? Evaluating the Legacy of the 1990s Reform Wave

Over the past three decades, decentralization and reforms designed to insulate service providers from interference by elected officials (insulating reforms), such as corporatization and privatization, swept through the urban water and sanitation sector in developing countries. We argue that their rationales were contradictory; decentralization was intended to increase citizen participation and influence, whereas corporatization and privatization were intended to depoliticize management. We document the widespread promotion and adoption of these reforms, and conclude that decentralization made it difficult to insulate service provision in practice. We argue that studying how institutional reforms interact with one another can help explain reform consequences. © 2014 The Authors.

Civil Society Making Political Claims: Outcries, Interest Advocacy, and Deliberative Claims

Increased citizen participation is proposed to remedy democratic deficits. However, it is unclear whether such participation improves reason‐based discussions or whether it serves mainly as a safety valve for discontented citizens. To what extent does citizen‐initiated participation involve reason‐based arguments? This study examines citizens’ reason giving based on unique data on citizens’ contacts with local authorities in Sweden. It provides support for proponents of deliberative participation, as an unexpected amount of contacts provided reasons for clearly stated positions and invitations to a constructive dialogue with authorities. There is variation across issues. More conflictual issues involve fewer intentions to participate in a reasoned exchange of arguments. The study shows that citizens deliver more reason‐based input to democratic decision making when they prepare their position in groups than when they participate as individuals. Findings are preliminary but clearly illustrate the fruitfulness of widening the research agenda on civic engagement in politics and public administration.

Government-Community Conflict: the Lithuanian Public Governance Challenge

Over the past decade Lithuanian government has undertaken a series of steps at reforming public administration. Particularly notable are initiatives attempting to increase citizen participation in local policy inspired by the New Public Governance ideology and EU subsidiarity principle. A range of tools have been introduced to aid local community formation and participation. However, both the communities and municipalities (which ended up managing these instruments) transcended the intended roles set out for them by these schemes and have taken a on a life of their own. This often leads to resistance to government policy initiatives rather than participation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.13.1.6404

Do Local Government Reforms Result in Higher Levels of Trust in Local Politicians?

Local government reforms have been carried out in a number of European countries, aiming at both more effective service production and increased citizen participation in local politics. Although extensive research has been carried out analysing the content and background of these reforms, few if any, studies have considered the democratic effects of these reforms at the level of the individual citizen. This article investigates relationship between local government reforms and citizen trust in local government, focusing on individual-level data on local government reforms in Norway in 2008. The analysis shows that it is difficult to find a clear relationship between reform policies and trust in local politicians. These findings parallel other contributions in concluding that it is difficult to find substantial effects from local government re-organisations.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF NATURAL TOURISM IN PANCAR MOUNTAIN NATURAL PARK

The purposes of this study are to identify the internal and external factors and to determine the best strategy for developing natural tourism in Pancar Mountain Natural Park. This study employs a descriptive method through surveys using a purposive sampling method. The analysis tools used are IFE and EFE, IE Matrix, SWOT Matrix and QSPM. Recommended strategies are: 1) product development strategy, 2) market penetration, 3) optimizing the cooperation of stakeholders, 4) defining the area and boundary of Pancar Mountain Natural Park, 5) increasing citizen participation and 6) increasing the role of associations.

Examining the nature and extent of public participation in neighbourhood policing

Situated within the ‘New Localism’ agenda neighbourhood policing, a contemporary form of community policing operating in England and Wales, has sought to increase citizen participation in shaping the direction of local policing. Whilst public participation has been viewed as central for the operation of community policing by its advocates, others have been much more critical about what can be achieved. Concerns have been raised that participation has been low and ‘regressive’ rather than ‘progressive’ in its effect. Using binary logistic regression models constructed from Crime Survey for England and Wales (formerly British Crime Survey) data, this study confirms that the majority of the population do not participate and demonstrates that awareness of and participation in neighbourhood policing are shaped by an interaction of factors related to demography, the life course, neighbourhood attachments, facets of social class, perceptions of crime and disorder and attitudes to the police. We conclude that while neighbourhood policing is likely to be consumed by the ‘usual suspects’, there is also evidence that neighbourhood policing does not have a wholly regressive effect.

프랑스 노후주거지 재생을 위한 근린재생 프로그램 연구

There is a growing tendency within old towns to analyze spatial characteristics to initiate various sustainable development programs and systems to make high-quality small-medium local cities. Professional research institutions in Korea are looking for new guidance into making housing regeneration policies and for trying to merge different functions. But there is a lack of research on support indicators and legal systems for residents. The purpose of this study will analyze the support systems and indicators of France for declined residential blocks in urban. Because the government of France have developed the policy for declined housing blocks. And they are establishing support systems to improve the quality of the residential environment and the resettlement of existing residents. First, this research study the condition of declined housing blocks in Paris. Secondly, support systems and policies of PNRU and PNRQAD are investigated and analyzed. Finally, cases by PNRU and PNRQAD are analyzed to derive the strength of this system. As a result, the following implications are derived. 1) the strengthening of social support, 2) the establishment of specialized national institutions and indicators, 3) increasing citizen participation, 4) Sustainable research program for neighborhood regeneration.

Virtual Logos – An Inclusive(ly) Political Alternative

Abstract The study raises the problem of rendering logos secondary in our virtual times. This statement is described by the investigation of the consequence that virtual logos recalibrates the relation logos-mentality-knowledge through conceptual digressions and translations, as well as through re-description. Within this context, the working hypothesis of the paper is that virtual logos bears the hallmarks of a cultural and political de-legitimating model. The purpose of this study is to verify the hypothesis reinterpreting the classical distinctions (such as practical rationality vs. theoretical rationality, understanding vs. explanation) and then validating the identified referential instances or manifestations of logos on the political sphere. The paper accepts the status of language as an institutional mode and code, gliding on various formulae for the logos user (of a postmodern nature). The methods, the findings and the results of the study describe a puzzle, a table of relating to different manners of conceptualization, a portrait of the appeal of virtual logos to the exteriorization of the stakes of narrative knowledge. In this approach, the authors are aware of the double legitimating of science, where technology becomes a contending factor in relation to knowledge, maintaining the subordination in front of virtual power. As a piece in this puzzle, the authors also use the technique of interconnections, capitalizing on Lyotard's affirmation that the new technologies are vulnerable to piracy. This effect of novelty can be also found in the reactions of the third German political force – the Pirate Party – with effect in the legitimacy of protection for on-line software (protecting and maybe stimulating citizens’ participation), reaction to the prospect of mere minimal democracy, symptom of the current post-industrial democracy. The conclusions and recommendations of the paper indicate, first, the virtual as a diminished model of politics, even more deprived of authenticity and maybe even more cynical. Second, at the same time, the paper shall emphasize that in this Age of Less (impoverished and codified communication, highly codified human relations, less human interaction), the realm of the virtual remains, nevertheless, both culturally and politically, a hope for increased citizen participation, as an alternative to the predicable failure of the technocrats and as counterweight to the disappointment with representative democracy.