Citizen participation in public administration

Participatory governance or citizen participation in public administration is a concept widely practised by many western developed countries. But developing countries like Bangladesh still lag far behind in this area.
Participatory governance may be defined as a process in which ordinary citizens take part - whether on a voluntary or obligatory basis and whether acting alone or as part of a group - with the goal of influencing decisions involving significant choices that affect their community. According to the United Nations, citizen participation in public administration implies the involvement of citizens in a wide range of policy-making activities, including the determination of levels of service, budget priorities, and the acceptability of physical construction projects in order to orient government programmes toward community needs, build public support, and encourage a sense of cohesion within neighbourhoods (UN World Public Sector Report, 2008). The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and its Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) claim that citizen engagement in public administration implies the involvement of citizens in decision-making process of the state - through measures and/or institutional arrangements - so as to increase their influence on public policies and programs for ensuring a more positive impact on their social and economic lives.
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Brazil in 2012, which launched the formulation process of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-30, had stressed effective governance at local, regional and global levels by representing the voices and interests of all and enhancing the participation and effective engagement of the civil society. An enabling environment for citizen participation in governance required information-sharing, consultation process and a role in decision-making related to public administration. The United Nations High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on Post-2015 Development Agenda in 2013 called for increased public participation in political processes and civic engagements at all levels and guaranteeing the public's right to information and access to government data. Then in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015, Goal-16 (among 17 SDG goals) and Target-16.7 (among 169 targets) emphasize citizen participation in the realm of public administration. Goal-16 calls for promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Target 16.7 urges the member-states to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels (UN General Assembly, 2015).
The Seventh Five Year Plan (2016-2000) of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has also incorporated citizen participation in decision-making as a strategy for enhancing the capacity of public administration. Headlined 'Citizen feedback/public grievance redress', it states: "The government shall establish mechanisms for citizen feedback regarding government performance. These measures will provide citizens with the opportunity to provide information to senior management on front-line service providers. If implemented in a relevant, efficient and responsive manner, it can represent a powerful tool for improving government performance at the local level". There already exists a separate branch in the Cabinet Division of GOB for facilitating a central Grievance Redress System (GRS). The Bangladesh Government plans to ensure provision of necessary logistical and personnel support so that this set-up can handle all public grievances reported by the citizenry.
The Citizen's Charter initiative, launched by the GOB in 2007-08, was also aimed at facilitating citizens' involvement in the delivery of public services. Preparation of Citizen's Charter is important to protect the rights of citizens, especially in utility organisations, alongside preparation of performance standards. Through this, an organisation can inform people about the types and amount of services it intends to provide within a specific time-frame, so that the consumers can receive services accordingly. It was in fact one of the key recommendations of the Public Administration Reform Commission (PARC) that submitted its report in June 2000, calling for introduction of Citizen's Charter in all service-rendering public organisations in order to enable citizens to know about their rights and ensure the commitment of organisations to deliver services and ensure value for money. However, though it received much publicity and coverage in the past, the concept is yet to get a strong foothold in Bangladesh and there is need and scope for a thorough review and reform in the area. One of the viable options that can be explored is the establishment of 'Committees of Concerned Citizens' in all service-delivery organisations of Bangladesh. Such a consumer-based platform would lend a much-needed voice to the relevant customers on the workings of those entities, their missions, visions, objectives, strategies, processes, outputs and outcomes.
According to Professor Archon Fung of Harvard University, an expert in the area of participatory governance, increasing citizen participation is sometimes seen as a way to increase the efficacy of regulation, improve the provision of public goods and services, and bolster outcomes in areas such as health and education that straddle the boundaries between public and private, social and individual. If young people continue to demand greater engagement with the institutions that affect them and digital technologies continue to make information more accessible, we can expect both the demand for avenues of cooperation and the potential of its contributions to increase, he says (Archon Fung: Public Administration Review, 2015).
Citizen participation is also looked at as boosting the democratic legitimacy of governance processes and advancing the cause of social justice. It is in the context of the latter that direct citizen participation faces the greatest challenge. There exist designs for citizen participation that would, in many instances, lead to public decisions or social actions that benefit those who are currently disadvantaged socially and economically. The challenge is therefore political, as most organisations and leaders who possess the authority and resources to strengthen participatory governance may simply lack the motivation to advance social justice through such measures. As Professor Fung says, the challenge for those who seek justice through participation is, in the first instance, a political challenge rather than an institutional design problem. Political conditions should therefore be created under which powerful leaders and organisations are motivated to advance social justice and thereby facilitate reaping of optimum benefits from participation in governance for the good of the common citizens.  
Dr. Helal Uddin Ahmed is currently a freelance writer-cum-translator, and formerly editor of Bangladesh Quarterly.
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