The concept of citizen engagement has been explored in many jurisdictions which profess democracy as an ideology and means of government formation. It is considered an underpinning of a deliberative democracy that can accentuate appreciation of the government if there are subtle frameworks and spectrums for its realization. An institutionalized civic engagement can be an important tool in ensuring a sustained cooperation between the government and the citizens in the formulation of larger policy agendas and not only on ad-hoc, one-off endeavors with specific goals.
But what would really be counted as civic engagement? Above all, any engagement that is initiated between the government and its citizens with a characteristic practice that respects the rights of citizens to have an informed say in the myriad decisions that affects their lives; would be rightly adjudged as ‘civic engagement.’ Civic engagement emphasizes the sharing of information, power and mutual respect between the two entities; the government and the citizens. It is not merely an instance of communication or consultation or a talk from both sides past each other, but, rather an organized sharing in the agenda-setting platform. It ensures that policy is generated jointly and both entities’ points of view are taken into account in the formulation of the final decision. It would be regarded as highly exercised if the interactive process is sustained throughout the policy development.
Whilst the practicality of wider citizen engagement is often in doubt, with major challenges faced especially in larger populations, the net result is often better than not. Critics have often found ways to attack such an arrangement in the modern democratic structure, notably that such endeavors will undoubtedly build false expectations on the citizenry.
Why Civic Engagement?
In most democracies, elections that are often regarded as the penultimate expression of the citizen’s will are periodic. There has been a growing trend of declining voter turnout as the political rhetoric becomes more intense. The decline perhaps show an increase in disconnect between the people and their democratic structure. In order to uphold the ideology of a representative democracy, there should be a purposeful deepening of civic engagement. This would serve as an important remedy to the democratic deficit as it reinvigorates the citizen’s faith in the democratic process.
The potential benefits for an elaborate civic engagement in the formulation of a long-time plan are numerous. Below are some of the highlights. Legitimation of decision; decisions that are perceived as ‘legitimate’ by the public are often arrived at when the wider public has their values incorporated therein. Sole reliance on expert opinion in policy formulation may be limiting and out of touch with the reality. It would be a short-sighted endeavor to draw up plans in total disregard of those likely to be affected because this would ultimately result in dissatisfaction.
Better policy formulation; in the new sphere of thinking, the initial belief and reliance on one sector as the provider of all answers has been trashed. The current thinking has opted for a more consultative and multidisciplinary view of situations. It is foolhardy to develop plans that are likely to be restricted because of the diverse experiential knowledge of the public.
Building competence among citizens; having raised the issue of a dwindling public confidence in the electoral process, civic engagement would provide an important platform for the citizenry to acquire skills in problem solving. By actively involving the citizens in policy formulation they acquire skills in active listening, problem solving, empathy and creative thinking. These skills may be used in solving their more pertinent and personal problems at the community level.
Looking for common ground; by employing a well-structured process of deliberation and dialogue, parties who disagree in an adversarial system come to appreciate why the others hold divergent opinions. This initiates a process of overcoming polarization and smoothers the rough edges of the conflict. Giving the citizen a forum to engage with one another in pursuit of a common ground that is collectively reasoned resulting in a more cohesive society. In a multi-racial society, sector driven policy formulation are likely to be construed as intended to benefit one or more groups to the disadvantage of the other. To alleviate such a situation, policy formulation needs to be done within a framework of civic engagement.
Inclusion of minorities; the establishment of representative democracy is majority-based. There is always a danger of failing to address or incorporate the needs of the minorities. Electoral institutions may fail to showcase the diversity of the citizenry. Civic engagement that is devoid of an electoral process provides an ideal mechanism for engaging the minority as the policies that will be formulated affects all the subjects.
Engaging citizens in politics; politics largely shapes citizens’ lives and the public policies that emanate from them. A citizen who remains ignorant to the political intrigues, therefore, abdicates his self-determination right to someone else. Providing an enabling environment for the citizens to participate in meaningful politics is an enhancement of their own lives. This also increases their confidence in the political process.
Civic Engagement and the Community
Public involvement generally refers to the diverse spectrum of consultative mechanisms. It can be through individuals’ initiative, stakeholder representatives or communities of interest. In most situations, independent individual opinions count for in only limited forms in the wider policy formulation process. The gap between an independent individual and the government is often too wide, special public interest groups often act as intermediaries. In this regard specific individual interest if not well articulated by the public interest group, may not be given credence.
Whilst it would be impossible to meet all the competing interest of every community, civil engagement would undoubtedly build its capacity to bargain with the mightier government. In so doing there is an increased likelihood of increasing the social capital irrespective of the diversity pertinent to the subject community.
The most notable challenge in any civic engagement practice is reaching all the people beyond the likely suspect. Engaging members of specific communities may require very unique sets of considerations in-order to fully discern their take on the subject. To develop the capacity of the community and hence the social capital, a sustained engagement that seeks to inculcate into the community the importance of their contribution is mandatory. It is an acknowledgement that all the citizens want action and would be invaluable in the creation of a future they believe in. This apparent shift of leadership will help the community in asking the numerous questions that are often taken for granted in circumstances where there is no room for civic engagement.
The dominant belief in a community that has not been exposed to civic engagement would be that the task of leadership is left for a select few. This clique sets a vision, enroll others in it, and develop measures of holding people accountable. On the other hand, an engaged community will see themselves as the guardians of accountability and the vision setters. This latter scenario helps the community to develop a commitment towards upholding the collective social goals without any selfish expectation of rewards. The community is able to embrace policies that emanate from the government without asking, ‘what is in it for us?’
A shift that eventually boasts social capital begins with a shift in thinking. Shifting a community’s thinking does not automatically change the society at large, but it does create a condition where such a shift is possible. Therefore, the relevant community forms the basis for increased social capital. Before we embrace the entire extent of our society, we must first identify with a particular community.
How Civic Engagement Improves Community Capacity
When the community members come together in a formal forum to deliberate on issues that affect policy formulation, they engage in an intellectual discourse that essentially makes a strong case for their collective interest in the long run occasioning a sense of belonging. In the long run an individual is able to cultivate a sense of belonging that is of mutual benefit to the society at large. This sets an important platform for people to cultivate respect for each other as they are aware they will be seeing each other again.
Improvement of cooperation; in the process of a community discharging its civic engagement, there is a strong likelihood that they will learn to cooperate with each other in other matters that are very specific to them. They will be able to work together in the face of a natural disaster and appreciate the values of good neighborliness.
Platform for integration; in any community, it is likely that people will hold diverse opinions on matters that range from trivial to pertinent. Without a constant forum of learning the virtues of informed dialogue, the diverse beliefs, prejudices and opinions may lead to polarization. Civic engagement will enable the people to integrate as they learn and understand the others’ preoccupation. In an active citizen engagement scenario, the more divisive ideas like religion, race, and gender suddenly begin to disappear with the community assuming common positions.
Information sharing; a people that constantly share ideas and embrace others’ point of view are more informed and enlightened. When forums are in place that can afford a free flow of information, and particularly on matters that affect the community, the sum product is a group of people who are politically aware and intellectually acute.
Conclusion
The ideal benefits of civic engagement are numerous, even though such an endeavor may be criticized as an unnecessary expense of time and resources the net benefits far much outweigh the demerits. There are challenges especially with large populations. To remedy this, jurisdictions that have adopted this mode of representative democracy have devised stakeholder forums and special interest group initiatives. Many decisions are made in between the electoral cycle, and these are normally possessed of greater implication on the lives of the subject. Civic engagement is one way of ensuring the direct input of the citizens in the decision making process.
