21 June 2010

Big Ideas of Citizen Engagement
Janet Denhardt, Arizona State University

Perhaps the most important question with regard to meeting the challenges of citizen engagement is to consider why we want to do so.  In fact, to a significant extent, once we determine what we are attempting to gain from citizen engagement, finding appropriate approaches and strategies becomes easier.   

Perhaps the most abstract or some might say lofty purpose for engaging citizens in governance is based on the conviction that it is the “right” thing to do accordingly to our beliefs in the democracy and democratic principles as a set of ideals.  In other words, from this perspective citizen engagement is something we seek for its own sake; it requires no other justification.   Another somewhat more concrete manifestation of this ideal is the argument that citizen engagement results in the best democratic outcomes that represent the will of the people or the public interest.   Here, the time frame is very long range in that the “goodness” of democratic values and citizen engagement, for their own sake, will always be considered paramount.  

The second purpose we might pursue in using citizen engagement is to provide a vehicle to help individual community members become “citizens” in the highest sense of the word.  Citizens can be defined as people who have a concern for the larger community in addition to their own interests and are willing to assume personal responsibility for what goes on in their neighborhoods and communities.   From this perspective, building citizenship is not about legal status or rights, it is about inculcating a way of thinking and acting that is characterized by openness to opposing ideas, collaboration, and sense of responsibility to others.    This is achieved by offering individuals the opportunity to engage with others in manner that builds and fosters these attitudes and skills. With an active and engaged citizenry, collaborative governance becomes the norm and those participating have the skills, commitment, and interest to stay involved.  

A third reason to engage citizens in local governance is to develop more creative solutions to public problems that are responsive to community values and preferences, and involve citizens in the implementation of those solutions.  This is based on the idea that not only do people in neighborhoods know best what their neighborhoods need and want, but that complex policy problems require the involvement of community members in ensuring desired outcomes are meet.  For example, police organizations need community members to help achieve public safety by reporting crime watching out for neighbors and schools need families involved in the education of their children.   Similarly, neighborhood blight cannot be fought only from the outside—residents have to be a part of the solution.      

Normative arguments can and have been made about what is the best answer to the question of why we seek citizen engagement.  While this is a vital and important debate, we can all acknowledge that whatever our answer to these questions might be, a clearer understanding of our purpose can help guide how we respond to the forces driving local governments to engage citizens in the governance process and how we assess our success in doing so.