Participatory Governance

History and Development

Citizen and civil society participation has long been considered a cornerstone of good governance. Principles of participatory governance date as far back as ancient Athens and have been manifested in various forms throughout history, for example, in the systems of direct democracy that have functioned in the Swiss Cantons from the late Middle Ages.

Participatory governance re-emerged as a key theme in the early 1990s due to a number of trends. For many citizens and civil society organizations, demands for participatory governance are rooted in dissatisfaction with traditional systems of representative democracy and represent an attempt to address perceived deficits (e.g. lack of transparency, responsiveness and accountability) by applying the principles of popular participation, already well developed in social development spheres, to the governance domain. Participatory governance approaches are based on the premise that citizens have both the right and the responsibility to participate in the processes of public decision-making. The renewed interest in participatory governance approaches is also linked to developments in public administration—such as the emergence of public-private partnerships and the acknowledged need for multi-stakeholder approaches to deal with the complexities of globalizing economies and environmental challenges. Moreover, calls for participatory governance have emerged from the development aid and anti-corruption fields, where participatory governance approaches, in particular those involving citizen monitoring and oversight roles, are viewed as an important strategy for enhancing government transparency, effectiveness and accountability. Finally, the field of action research has made important contributions to the development of participatory governance practices and innovations. Participatory governance approaches emphasize the importance of ‘evidence-based’ interactions between citizens and the state. Many participatory governance practices are based on empowering citizens to use action research techniques to generate the information and data they need to engage in informed dialogue with state actors, undertake evidence-based advocacy, seek accountability from public officials and service providers, propose alternatives and negotiate change.

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