PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRACY

• Participation in Democracy
• It has been a long component of democratic decision-
making process to involve citizen participation which
allows private individuals to affect public decisions. Public
involvement ensures that the people have a direct voice in
public decisions.
• Participating in different democratic practices allows an
individual to exercise his/her rights as a citizen.
• The diverse populace of a country also has diverse
experiences, beliefs ad needs. Being involved in the process
public decision making allows these individuals to voice out
their thoughts on a paticular problem to address as a
public.
• Techniques of Citizen Participation
• The government in a democratic country
also extends its efforts to ensure that
citizens are involved in its decision making
There are varieties of techniques available
to solicit publics input in the planning
process:
 PUBLICITY

• Publicity techniques are designed to persuade and

facilitate public support relating to citizens as
passive consumers.
 PUBLIC EDUC ATION

• Public education programs present relatively

complete and balanced information so that
citizens may draw their own conclusions.
 PUBLIC INPUT

• Public input techniques solicit ideas and opinions

from citizens. They are most effective when
combined with feedback mechanisms which
inform participants of the extent to which their
input has influenced ultimate decisions.
 PUBLIC INTERACTION

• Public interaction techniques facilitate the

exchange of information and ideas among citizens,
planners, and decision makers.
• When these techniques are effectively utilized,
each participant has the opportunity to express
his or her views, respond to the ideas of others,
and work toward consensus.
 PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP

• Public partnerships offer citizens a formalized role

in shaping the ultimate decisions.