Towards Interactive Governance: Embedding Citizen Participation in Local Government

Abstract

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.

Citizen-Centric Governance: Enhancing Citizen Engagement through Artificial Intelligence Tools

“…Through interactive forms of governance, public administration stands a chance to compensate for the shortcomings of previous doctrines by bringing the citizens into the center of the democratic process instead of treating them as passive beneficiaries [8].…”

“…Given the tendency towards excessive bureaucracy as a traditional governmental practice, the integration of citizens and their active participation in decision-making processes is a challenge that can only be addressed through public policies, as well as the transformation of the traditional bases of governance [8]. The researchers stressed that a real involvement of citizens in governance is difficult but a failure in the coagulation of society and governance will certainly result in a significant decrease in the legitimacy of the administration, and thus in the confidence in its capacity for competence [15][16][17].…”

“…The academic literature analyzing public management emphasizes the crucial role that artificial intelligence can play in generating and sustaining good governance by harnessing technological advances and providing timely and efficient services to alleviate the lack of trust in public services [6]. Over the last few years, multiple studies have investigated the influence of the digital and technological process on the development of e-government, concluding that the focus should be on ensuring good transport infrastructure, improved services and adaptive leadership [8][9][10][11]. Study [7] shows that citizens want e-services and egovernance, emphasizing time efficiency.…”

Citizen Participation in Policy Decision-Making

“…Combine citizen participation and interactive governance theories to analyze the governance layers necessary for effective citizen involvement (Jäntti et al, 2023). This integrated approach provides a holistic perspective on the mechanisms underpinning successful citizen participation initiatives.…”