Week 7 - Citizen Participation and Policy Implementation Flashcards
What is citizen participation in democratic governance?
It’s the involvement of citizens in the policymaking process, including voting, consultations, and direct decision-making.
How is citizen participation different from lobbying?
Participation is about inclusive public input, while lobbying involves organized interest groups trying to influence policy for specific agendas.
What is the purpose of a Citizen Participation Scorecard?
to evaluate participation efforts based on inclusivity, deliberation, and actual influence over decision-making.
What are the three dimensions of Fung’s Democracy Cube?
- Who participates?
- How do they communicate/decide?
- How much authority do they have?
What is participatory budgeting?
A process where citizens decide how to allocate part of a public budget, promoting direct democratic engagement.
List three advantages of citizen participation.
Enhances democratic legitimacy
Builds trust and accountability
Taps into local knowledge and innovation
List three disadvantages of citizen participation.
Can be time-consuming and costly
Risk of tokenism or low influence
May exclude marginalized voices without proper facilitation
What is policy implementation?
It’s the process of translating policy decisions into action by government agencies and actors.
Why is policy implementation often overlooked?
There’s an assumption that passing the law is the hard part, and political sensitivities or optimism bias can downplay implementation challenges.
What is the Top-Down Approach to implementation?
A model where policy is implemented from higher authorities down to the local level, focusing on clear goals, centralized control, and structured policy directives.
Who developed a key top-down model of implementation?
Sabatier and Mazmanian.
What are the three key factors that affect top-down implementation?
Tractability of the problem
Clarity and structure of the policy/statute
Non-statutory variables (e.g., political support, socioeconomic conditions)
What is a limitation of the top-down approach?
It often overlooks the role of frontline implementers and local-level complexity.
What is the Bottom-Up Approach to implementation?
A model that focuses on street-level bureaucrats and local actors, emphasizing their discretion and the realities they face on the ground.
What does the bottom-up approach aim to understand?
The goals, strategies, and interactions of local implementers, and the factors (beyond policy) that influence outcomes.
Why do bottom-up theorists criticize top-down models?
They argue top-down models ignore the discretion and adaptation required at the implementation level.
What is the Combined Model of implementation?
An integrated approach that combines elements of both top-down and bottom-up models to better understand and manage implementation.
What are the six main elements of the combined model?
Policy design (content and resources)
Inter-organizational coordination
Characteristics of implementing agencies
Linking outputs to outcomes (policy logic)
Policy learning
Action environment (political, economic, social context)
Why is implementation important for citizens?
Most people’s direct contact with government occurs during implementation (e.g., public services), making it the most tangible part of governance.
What is public participation in policymaking?
A procedural tool that allows policymakers to include citizens in policy networks and delegate certain design-related tasks.
Who can be involved in participatory processes?
Citizens directly or representatives of associations and organized groups.
What are three main motivations for policymakers to encourage participation?
Empowerment, legitimacy, and learning.
How can public participation benefit implementation?
It fosters cooperation, reduces disaffection, and enhances compliance.
What are cognitive resources in public participation?
Information, practical knowledge, and insights that citizens bring.
What are political resources in public participation?
Legitimacy, consensus, conflict avoidance, and public cooperation.
Why is there no single model for effective participatory design?
Because motivations are varied and often conflicting; success depends on context and expectations.
What are common features of structured participatory processes?
Pre-defined duration
Small group interactions (e.g., roundtables)
Balanced, accessible information
Neutral moderators/facilitators
What is a key challenge in participation design?
Choosing among many techniques and evaluating their effectiveness.
What is Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation?
A model viewing participation as a redistribution of power, with higher rungs reflecting more citizen power.
What is the IAP2 Spectrum?
A neutral, five-level participation model (e.g., Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, Empower), focusing on influence rather than power redistribution.
What are hybrid models of participation?
Combined use of online and in-person methods (e.g., F2F deliberation + online voting).
