Improving participation

Reducing underparticipation
Expanding participation
Promoting participation

Description

Improving participation involves actively increasing the engagement and involvement of individuals or groups in decision-making, planning, and implementation processes. This strategy addresses problems of exclusion, apathy, and ineffective outcomes by creating accessible channels for input, fostering transparent communication, and empowering stakeholders. Practical actions include outreach, capacity-building, and feedback mechanisms, ensuring diverse perspectives are represented and integrated. The core intent is to enhance ownership, accountability, and the effectiveness of collective actions and solutions.

Context

Participation as a deepened form of democracy is one very common use of the word. In the Skeffington report from the UK called 'People and Planning', a central passage states that participation is '...the act of sharing in the formulation of policies and proposals. Participation involves doing as well as talking, and there will be full participation only when the public is able to take an active part throughout the plan-making process...' The 'Guide to Effective Participation', developed in a research project by the Rowntree Foundation in the UK, describes a five-rung ladder of participation: (1) information (merely telling people what is planned); (2) consultation (offering some options, listening to feedback, but not allowing new ideas); (3) deciding together (encouraging additional options and ideas, and providing opportunities for joint decision-making); (4) acting together (different interests deciding together what is best and forming a partnership to carry it out); (5) supporting independent community interests (whereby local groups or organizations are offered funds, advice or other support to develop their own agenda within guidelines).