Description

Community engagement has a history stretching back to ancient Athenian direct democracy where citizens participated in local government decision-making. When done well, engaging citizens continues to result in better government, better decisions and stronger communities.

Community Engagement: Better Government, Better Decision and Stronger Communities explores the forces, form and function of community engagement initiatives by local governments. The quest for community engagement is a significant global phenomenon, and mounting pressure for more citizen participation presents professional practice with the challenge and opportunity of determining appropriate actions and outcomes.

While the value of community engagement is a well-established principle, there are gaps in our understanding of how it can be successfully applied in practice. This book contributes to closing these gaps through insights gained from nine in-depth case studies of initiatives at local governments in Sweden. The cases provide interesting, innovative and instructive examples of the successful application of community engagement which can inform international practice at all levels of government.

Community Engagement: Better Government, Better Decision and Stronger Communities reveals how engagement initiatives can enable decision-makers to discover community needs, to frame possible solutions, and to share in making better choices about policy responses and program action.