The Potential for Public Empowerment through Government‐Organized Participation

Abstract

This article develops a better theoretical understanding of the linkage between the processes and outcomes associated with government‐organized public participation, including its potential to empower citizens in guiding administrative decisions. Special focus is given to those factors that shape the development and maintenance of the citizen–administrator relationship. To this end, the research examines the work of federally mandated citizen review panels and their interactions with state child protection agency administrators. Based on 52 in‐depth interviews conducted with citizens and administrators in three U.S. states, a grounded theory approach is employed to derive a series of testable theoretical propositions. The insights gained are of importance not only to public administration scholars but also to citizens and administrators who engage one another through formally organized channels of participation.

Citizen Participation in Budgeting: A Trade‐Off between Knowledge and Inclusiveness?

“…Participants' knowledgeability can also aff ect the effi ciency of the budgetary decision-making process. Weighing competing budgetary demands can become more diffi cult if the decision-making process is scrutinized by those lacking the expertise required for decision making (Buckwalter 2014;Franklin, Ho, and Ebdon 2009;Robbins, Simonsen, and Feldman 2008). Th e notion that ordinary citizens may lack the knowledge required for policy making can be traced as far back as Plato's Republic, which suggests that elites, characterized by wisdom and virtue, should govern.…”

Using concept mapping as a planning tool: Child welfare citizen review panels

“…For example, findings in the literature point to the importance of orientation for new members (Jones, 2013), less response time by government officials to the annual report (Buckwalter, 2014), and producing higher quality reports (Bryan et al, 2007) as pertinent to effective CRP planning and functioning. Interestingly, statements related to these ideas were present in the go-zones, meaning participants viewed these ideas as important and feasible, in the Leadership and State Government clusters, respectively.…”

“…Further, P.L. 108-36 required the CRPs to engage in public outreach related to child welfare (Buckwalter, 2014;Jones & Royse, 2008a). For example, CRPs may host public forums, conduct focus groups, or survey larger community groups such as teachers or judges in order to fulfill this mandate.…”

When Will Public Officials Listen? A Vignette Experiment on the Effects of Input Legitimacy on Public Officials’ Willingness to Use Public Participation

“…Research has established public officials’ attitudes toward public participation as one of the determining factors shaping the success of public participation practices (Buckwalter ; Denhardt and Denhardt ; Hatcher ; Kweit and Kweit ; Liao and Schachter ; Yang and Callahan ). Importantly, studies of the determinants of public officials’ attitudes toward public participation are largely absent (notable exceptions include Liao and Schachter ; Yang and Callahan ).…”

“…Central to the success of participatory processes are public officials who are willing to engage with citizens (Hatcher ; Hong ; Ianniello et al ; Liao and Schachter ; Yang ; Yang and Callahan ). Public officials are involved in all stages of the participatory process, and they influence how participation takes place and how public inputs are put into practice (Bryson et al ; Buckwalter ; Neshkova and Guo ; Yang and Callahan ). According to Yang and Callahan (, 250), “it stands to reason that favourable attitudes toward public participation may positively affect administrative decisions to include citizens in administrative processes” (see also Hong ; Yang and Callahan ; Zhang and Yang ).…”