Let's recap!
Citizen engagement matters because …
- It helps reconnect citizens and governments in a time of declining trust and growing polarisation.
- It brings people’s lived experiences into decisions that affect their lives, neighbourhoods, environment, and future.
- It helps governments make better informed, fairer, and more widely supported decisions.
- It gives a voice to people and groups who are too often left out of decision-making.
- It strengthens democracy by making it more open, responsive, and connected to everyday realities.
- It is essential for tackling complex challenges, such as climate change, energy poverty, and the transition towards a greener and fairer society.
- It is a democratic right.
Defining citizen engagement
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is one of the key international reference organisations on public governance and democratic innovation. In their Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes, the OECD defines citizen engagement as follows:
The ways in which people are involved in the design, delivery, and evaluation of policies and services that affect them.
This definition is broad – and for good reason! It reminds us that engagement is not just a single method, moment or event. It can take many forms, happen at different stages of the policy process, and offer citizens different levels of influence.
Throughout this e-learning, we use this definition of citizen engagement for the different ways in which citizens can be informed, consulted, involved, collaborate, or be empowered in public decision-making.
For further learning
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- The OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes