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Democratic governance in India : reflections and refractions
Contributed articles presented at the National Seminar on Democratic Governance in India States organised under the DRS Programme (Phase I) of the Dept. of Political Science, Calcutta University on 18 March, 2005.
Book
Assessing the effectiveness of governance innovations: A comparative study of ten European cities
The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of governance innovations in enhancing deliberative and participatory democracy across ten European cities. The research, conducted under the EUARENAS Project and funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme, explores the impact of various participatory and deliberative methods in diverse socio-political contexts. Utilizing a case study approach, the analysis includes eleven governance innovations from cities in both Western and Central-Eastern Europe, reflecting a wide array of tools and strategies aimed at improving citizen engagement and local democracy. The findings highlight the contextual factors influencing the success of these methods, emphasizing the importance of cultural, social, and historical nuances. ...
Journal Article
Exploring Local Democracy Profiles: Perceptions of Participatory Practices and Roles among Lithuanian Municipal Councilors
Local democracy has been widely discussed as a crucial element for developing the normative background of local institutions, where political skills and capacities are advanced. Nevertheless, there is less knowledge of the mechanisms connecting local democratic institutions with citizens’ voices and community engagement practices. Local politicians are considered mediators between ordinary citizens and local political processes. Following the discussion on the distinction between representative and participatory elements of local democracy, we empirically examined the relationship between local democracy notions of councilors and their roles and functions as local political representatives. Our empirical results suggest that the more councilors employ participatory democracy elements, the higher their perception of community engagement and facilitator roles for local politicians. On the contrary, the policy-making roles of councilors are less supportive of the notion of participatory democracy. The theoretical and empirical results also contribute to a broader understanding of the relationship between local political powers and local autonomy.
Journal Article
When local participatory budgeting turns into a participatory system. Challenges of expanding a local democratic experience
The experience of participatory budgeting that began in Porto Alegre in 1989 was carried over to the state level in Rio Grande do Sul in 1999. Since then, governments have tried out different modes of popular participation and consultation, culminating with the creation of a system of popular and citizen participation where participatory budgeting is one among various possibilities designed to allow citizen participation. In the article we discuss some more evident challenges of such an expansion, like the tension between participation as a principle and a strategy, bureaucratic mediations, some conditions for democratic participation, the different regional cultures of participation, as well as the relevance of organisational matters. The research methodology is based on participatory principles and procedures. In this sense, the study can be also seen as an experiment of using participatory methodology with policies and projects involving large geographical areas Key words: participation, participatory budgeting, local democracy, participatory Action Research
Journal Article
Local government performance and democratic consolidation: Explaining ordinance proposal in Busan Metropolitan Council
This article assesses the role of local councils as a conduit for democratic consolidation through the examination of the legislative performance of the members of a South Korean metropolitan city council. We collected data on ordinance proposals in Busan Metropolitan Council from 2006 to 2018 (the 5th to 7th Councils) and analysed, first, the effects of individual attributes of local council members on legislative performance through negative binomial model analysis and, second, the effects of legislative networks on council members' performance. Three findings contribute to the literature: first, the number of proposed ordinances by council members increased over time, while those by the mayor decreased in the same period, suggesting an erosion of executive dominance of policymaking in local councils. Second, female and newly elected council members are most active in legislative proposals, which underlines that these members are more connected to the electorate than long-serving incumbents. Third, network analyses show increasingly diverse and multi-centred communities behind ordinance proposals; this suggests a move from personalistic politics to institutionalised politics.
Journal Article
More than just an experiment? Politicians arguments behind introducing participatory budgeting in Budapest
As deliberative and participatory practices play a greater role in political decision-making of democratic political systems in many parts of the world, political parties must adapt to demands of an increasingly more cognitively mobilized citizenry. While there is a growing body of literature about the functioning of such procedures in different social and political contexts, little is known about politicians’ reasons behind introducing them. Based on qualitative data collected among Hungarian politicians, this paper brings evidence to empirically assess why local politicians introduced Participatory Budgeting in Budapest, Hungary. Our findings suggest that politicians accept theoretical arguments for promoting citizens’ participation, newly elected local politicians expect to increase their party’s local embeddedness by creating new contact opportunities and emphasize that the introduction of Participatory Budgeting is a ground for experimentation. The article ends with a discussion about arguments that are put forth in the literature on European Participatory Budgeting but missing from the views of politicians, and concludes by highlighting the risks of institutionalizing Participatory Budgeting.
Journal Article