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6 Modelling Citizen Engagement
The case studies presented in Chapters 4 and 5 have revealed the exciting
possibilities for shaping society and transforming lives through engaging
citizens as contributors to the decision-making process. Partly as a conse-
quence of their diversity on very many parameters, the case descriptions
reveal crucial data relating to numerous aspects of the citizen participa-
tion/engagement experience. In this chapter, we seek to use the data from
this rich pool of documented experience to characterize and to model ef-
fective citizen engagement.
6.1 Dimensions of Citizen Engagement
The analytical framework for the case studies described in Chapter 4
identified some of the key dimensions which characterize citizen partici-
pation/engagement exercises. Our analysis of the cases has revealed a
number of additional dimensions. These are crucial both to understanding
the dynamics of the process and to the planning of effective, successful
citizen engagement strategies. These additional parameters are:
•
initiator
(who are the initiators of the participation/engagement i.e. insti-
tutions or citizens);
•
structure
(pre-planned/formal or spontaneous/amorphous);
focus
(specific or broad);
•
•
scale
(size of the exercise, i.e. small group - local community - region -
nation - world);
•
impact
(individual - local - national - global);
citizen influence
(extent of opportunity to influence the design deci-
sion-making process).
Each of the above are discussed below.
•
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