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Citizen Participation in Decision Making: Is It Worth the Effort?
Author(s) -
Irvin Renée A.,
Stansbury John
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2004.00346.x
Subject(s) - dissent , public relations , process (computing) , citizen journalism , public participation , government (linguistics) , corporate governance , community participation , political science , public administration , business , sociology , computer science , politics , law , linguistics , philosophy , finance , socioeconomics , operating system
It is widely argued that increased community participation in government decision making produces many important benefits. Dissent is rare: It is difficult to envision anything but positive outcomes from citizens joining the policy process, collaborating with others and reaching consensus to bring about positive social and environmental change. This article, motivated by contextual problems encountered in a participatory watershed management initiative, reviews the citizen‐participation literature and analyzes key considerations in determining whether community participation is an effective policy‐making tool. We list conditions under which community participation may be costly and ineffective and when it can thrive and produce the greatest gains in effective citizen governance. From the detritus of an unsuccessful citizen‐participation effort, we arrive at a more informed approach to guide policy makers in choosing a decision‐making process that is appropriate for a community's particular needs.