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| Title: | Enhancing participatory governance and fostering active citizenship: an overview of local and international best practices |
| Authors: | Murray, Jessica Tshabangu, Busani Erlank, Natasha |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Periodical: | Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies (ISSN 0258-9346) |
| Volume: | 37 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | 45-66 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic terms: | South Africa Southern Africa world |
| Subjects: | popular participation community development |
| External link: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02589346.2010.492149 |
| Abstract: | Active citizenship is a concept which has become increasingly topical as governments seek ways of fostering proactive participation by empowered citizens and communities. The deepening of participatory democracy in South Africa is a work in progress and lessons can be drawn from communities ranging from as close to home as Bonteheuwel and Durban to as far afield as Bolivia and the United Kingdom. The authors identify projects in South Africa and elsewhere that have been implemented in specific communities and that have included best practices with respect to encouraging active citizenship and participatory local governance. These projects are explored to ascertain and explain precisely what mechanisms were employed and how they were employed to lead to successful outcomes. The interventions are organized according to the issues they are meant to address: health care, housing, safety, the environment. An overview of the literature reveals that well-documented examples of mechanisms that resulted in unmitigated success in specific communities remain rare. Yet this does not mean that there have not been a great many projects and interventions that have sought to address these issues in communities around the globe. It is necessary to collate projects and to compile best practice guidelines from the parts of the projects that functioned successfully while learning from the aspects that failed. In other words, a search for definitive best practices is likely to end in disappointment, but the more difficult task of analysing even partially successful practices is necessary to excavate lessons from the work that has been done. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited] |
