Citizen Participation: Practice in Search of a Theory

Abstract

Although citizen participation may be a worldwide phenomenon, its meaning, role, function, and importance vary from one culture and political system to another. The author reviews some of the conceptual problems in the current emphasis on public participation to suggest points at which both normative and empirical social theory may have something to contribute toward putting citizen involvement and public participation into a philosophic perspective. He emphasizes that it is the seeking after the public interest that is the important ingredient of citizen participation.