The limits of democratisation strategies which focus only on the formal electoral arena are becoming increasingly clear. There is a growing emphasis on deepening democracy, and emerging ‘new democratic spaces’ seek to extend the range and scope of opportunities for citizen participation. This policy briefing from the Institute of Development Studies highlights the key challenges involved in making these spaces effective forms of citizen participation. It argues that much more attention needs to be paid to contextual factors and institutional design.
New democratic spaces include councils, committees, panels, public hearings and stakeholder fora. Their degree of formality, durability, accountability and scope varies enormously with context, as do their remits. Only a few are strongly accountable, inclusive and representative, and fewer still go beyond resource management to help shape laws and policies. Nevertheless, they are an increasingly vibrant aspect of democracy and imply new relationships between citizens and their governments.
- Some spring from efforts to strengthen participation and others emphasise responsiveness on the part of policy makers and service providers. The most successful often combine the two approaches.
- New institutions can find themselves competing with existing participation spaces. In some cases central government has channelled funding through new local institutions without necessarily devolving more powers to local government.
- New democratic spaces can enable more inclusive and effective deliberation over problems and proposals. However, unless attention is paid to the quality of the process, people can be excluded from discussion even when they are physically present.
- Effectiveness depends on a number of factors, including the legal, historical and cultural setting and the extent of conflict. The role of political parties, social movements and NGOs and the availability of human and financial resources are also important.
Outsiders seeking to support the development of effective new democratic spaces should work with both policy makers and citizens, facilitating connections across the government/society divide.
- Policy makers need to recognise that one size does not fit all: the local context is vital. The rules of the game need to be clear: the absence of an enabling legal framework may make it difficult to integrate a new democratic space with the formal structures of government.
- Participation demands different procedures and attitudes, and takes time. It also has resource implications: citizen representatives will need support to meet the costs of travel, communication and technical assistance if not of their time.
- Citizens and civil society representatives must understand that governments need a clear interlocutor. Therefore they need to work together to articulate a coherent set of policy positions. These should be based on broad support, but negotiated by a few.
- Mandates matter: governments will often challenge the legitimacy of representatives and a clear mandate and demonstrable accountability makes it possible to respond effectively.
- Representation needs to be shared. Links with other spaces are vital for feedback, identifying priority agendas and mobilising support.
- Engagement should be a strategic choice as there are costs as well as benefits in participating.
