Meaningful Participation for Democratic Urban Governance

by Hermine Engel, Planact

Prepared for:

DAG National Conference October 2010:

“Re-imagining the City: A New Urban Order”

plan act Making towns & cities work for people

“Participation can be viewed fundamentally as a basic right and a means by which people attain greater

agency and self-determination through participating in the decision-making processes of their government or developing their own organisations or movements”

(Synthesis Report, Planact, 2010)

plan act Making towns & cities work for people

Institutionalized Participation: SA legislation

“A municipality must develop a culture of municipal governance that complements formal representative government with a system of participatory governance”(Municipal Systems Act, 2000, Ch4, 16.1)

- Integrated Development Planning (IDP)- Budget preparation- Service delivery decisions- Performance Management System (PMS)- Capacity building and allocation of municipal resources- Elected ward committee structures (Municipal Structures Act, 1998, Part 4, s72.3)

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Challenges cont…

- Cooptation - “Being participated” - Political will vs compliance / avoidance- Capacity and resource limitations - Quantity vs Quality - Managing expectations - Intergovernmental relations- Competition – personal political aspirations - Limited power to influence decision-making - Limited recognition & repression of community-led organising

plan act Making towns & cities work for people

Reclaiming meaningful participation

“Essentially a political process … to be based on mobilization and collective action at the grassroots level, sensibly

supported by organised community structures, committed NGOs, academia, the media,….

[It] has to make demands of government institutions, engage with them and complement them”

(Berner, ISS, 2010)

Demand-driven participation: • Re-emergence of community mobilising and organising• Protest action; Litigation• Capacity strengthening• Partnerships • Multiple strategies

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Strategies of an urban development NGO

a resource for poor, marginalized communities a learning organisation application and transfer of skills

o capacity buildingo project management - ‘testing / demonstrating practice’o supporting advocacy / negotiations

reflecting on lessons learned influencing policy “working both sides of the equation” - communities & state

Based on: respect; trust; self-conscious strategic planning &reflection; passion & commitment; participatory processes; application of skills for a political purpose

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Examples from Orlando East / Noordgesig

• Enhancing community participation in development initiatives •“Hybrid of invented & invited participation spaces / process”

(CBOs; political parties; ward committees; CDWs; etc…) • Social facilitation and capacity building for input into UDF and IDP• Long-term engagement; cooperation; widening vs deepening participation; representation & political party dominance; organizational form; resources

Lessons learned

‘Invited’ spaces are used to access information and resources, to gain skills and to contest what is offered and shape it

State structures and practices are fragmented and often contradictory - opportunity for influence

Platforms for power competition / for building constituencies

Continuous form of engagement based on learning Danger of being trapped into educating rather than contributing towards autonomy and independence

Process facilitation is an often neglected, undervalued important skill

plan act Making towns & cities work for people

In conclusion…

Strategic use of ‘invited’ and ‘invented / claimed’ spaces

Capacity strengthening and inclusive facilitation Demonstrating innovative progressive practices for

learning and advocacy Time investment and resources Internal inclusive participatory democratic practices? Challenging the dominant development paradigm –

seeking alternatives?

planact Making towns & cities work for people