Engaging citizens in effective collective action: how and why? [articol]

Abstract

Empowering civic groups may lead to better outcomes than a centralized decision-making in a society where the social power is concentrated in the hands of a few. But effective collective action is almost always conditioned by the collaboration with functional state institutions which are forced to cede a certain amount of authority, power and finance in favour of communities they no longer totally control. The question emerges: how can we understand and nurture citizen engagement projects for successful public services in a current political society? The present paper explores the public participation typology with the final scope of developing a new citizen engagement model.