PPT

EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SERVICES.

 Innovation and creativity

 Avoiding conflict
 Access to new resources
 Increased public awareness and understanding
 Trust and relationships

Script:

Efficiency and effectiveness of services

Innovation and creativity- Participation frequently

include mechanisms that facilitate the exchange of new
ideas between sponsoring agencies and other
stakeholders, assisting in the creation of innovative
approaches that may result in improved solutions.
Avoiding conflict- Participation at an early stage to
identify problems and solutions with stakeholders is seen
to reduce, or avoid altogether, conflict at a later stage and
thus reduce associated costs and delays.
Access to new resources- Participation is seen to
potentially release and bring in additional resources not
available to purely public or private initiatives (e.g.
funding for community projects from charities).
Participation may also create the leverage that can release
goodwill and volunteer effort (increased involvement of
volunteers). Costs may be saved by participation too, for
example through cost sharing with other organisations for
example (Countryside Agency 2004).
Increased public awareness and understanding- Where
citizens have a greater say in an issue they are more likely
to get informed about important issues (Benz and Stutzer
2004). This reduces the incentive towards rational
ignorance which Rydin and Pennington (2000, 159) put
down to the fact that “In many cases however, where the
impact of individual participation in the policy process is
uncertain and small, then it is simply not worthwhile
becoming informed about the relevant policy issue”.
In addition, better information can help weed out any
unfeasible option at an early stage, thus improving the
likelihood of success (Johnson, Lilja and Ashby 2001).
Trust and relationships- Involvement is seen to build
understanding, trust and confidence, which can improve
relationships with public institutions as well as between
individuals and groups locally.