A new position for civil society and citizens?

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Increased interdependencies and changed economic and political strategies have altered the role and resources of government while the spread of neo-liberalism and pluralism has affected perceptions of the legitimate role of government and increased the dependence of government on other actors. These transformations have led to ongoing reform of institutions, structures and processes in an effort to respond effectively to the challenges of change. Acknowledgement of defects in current democratic systems has caused governments everywhere to focus on the puzzles identified in Chapter 1. A common approach to resolving these puzzles at local level is to institutionalise linkages between politicians, public servants, communities and citizens, thereby reducing the tensions between representative, associative and participatory forms of democracy. Consequently, many countries have introduced schemes for re-engaging citizens and civil society as a means of ‘democratic renewal’. This chapter explores the theoretical and empirical manifestations of such strategems.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRenewal in European Local Democracies
Subtitle of host publicationPuzzles, Dilemmas and Options
PublisherVS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften
Pages99-117
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic)9783531187631
ISBN (Print)9783531187624
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A new position for civil society and citizens?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this