From Political Won't to Political Will : Building Support for Participatory Governance

* Geographically diverse examples of participatory governance in action
* Practical case studies show how citizens can participate more fully in the political process

Despite a recent wave of democratization around the world, traditional systems of representative democracy seem to be in crisis. Citizens in both the North and the South lack opportunities, rights and access to information and have expressed growing disillusionment with their governments. Ordinary citizens (especially women, poor people and other marginalized groups) are largely excluded from the political processes that directly affect their lives.

There is now growing consensus that good governance is participatory governance (PG), but public officials are often reluctant to adopt such an approach. From Political Won’t to Political Will addresses the particular challenge of encouraging these officials to involve citizens in the political process. The book presents contributions by participants from CIVICUS’ 2008 conference on building political will for PG. Representing the perspectives of both civil society and government actors, they propose a number of strategies and lessons such as demonstrating the benefits of PG to governments, complementing formal democratic institutions, building trust, supporting PG champions and using strategic political timing. Their practical and highly original findings will interest anyone eager to see the empowerment of people around the world.

Carmen Malena works as an independent consultant and part-time director of the CIVICUS Participatory Governance Programme from her base in Quebec City, Canada. She is a political sociologist, with special interest in the areas of civil society, participatory governance, social accountability, and gender. She holds an MPhil in International Development from Sussex University, UK and a BA in Political Studies. Carmen has more than twenty years experience as a development practitioner, researcher, writer, and trainer. She has published a wide range of academic articles and operational papers and manuals. She has held positions as a civil society and participation specialist at the World Bank and the African Development Bank and has worked for a range of multilateral and bilateral donors and NGOs.