Why is citizen engagement important?

This change requires letting go of some of the traditional reins of power and trusting that citizens can and will effectively engage in the issues. The result is a partnership(s) that is nearly always healthy for a community and can more effectively address the issue or problem.

While research regarding the benefits and importance of community engagement varies, several key opportunities are commonly identified. Among these are:

Increase the likelihood that projects or solutions will be widely accepted. Citizens who participate in these processes show significant commitment to help make the projects happen.
Create more effective solutions. Drawing on local knowledge from a diverse group creates solutions that are practical and effective.
Improve citizens' knowledge and skills in problem solving. Participants learn about the issues in-depth. Greater knowledge allows them to see multiple sides of the problem. Citizens can practice communication and decision-making skills.
Empower and integrate people from different backgrounds. Groups that feel ignored can gain greater control over their lives and their community. When people from different areas of the community work together, they often find that they have much in common.
Create local networks of community members. The more people who know what is going on and who are willing to work toward a goal, the more likely a community is to be successful in reaching its goals.
Create several opportunities for discussing concerns. Regular, on-going discussions allow people to express concerns before problems become too big or out of control.
Increase trust in community organizations and governance. Working together improves communication and understanding. Knowing what government, community citizens and leaders, and organizations can and cannot do may reduce future conflict.

(Adapted from Bassler et al, 2008).

In addition a well-designed engagement effort allows you to identify and understand:

Differing values and priorities
Differing frames, or ways citizens view the community or a particular project
Various alternatives and consequences
Perceptions of benefits and risks
Different ideas and potential solutions and actions
The characteristics and challenges of your "wicked" issue

References

Bassler, A. et al., "Developing Effective Citizen Engagement: A How-to Guide for Community Leaders." Center for Rural America, 2008.

Citizen engagement is at the core of democracy and a representative government. A world without citizen engagement is one in which government officials remain in the dark about the will of the people. That’s why expanding citizen engagement through digital channels—which can be accessed anytime, anywhere—is vitally important. Today’s citizens have high expectations about the way they interact with private business and also the public sector institutions that support them. Automating engagement, and bringing the information to the citizen ultimately increases engagement.

Increasingly, citizen engagement is moving into digital environments, where people can watch live streaming of public meetings, submit comments about legislation, or apply for a citizen board seat. Citizens prefer to engage with their local, state, and federal agencies but often find they lack the time. Enabling digital engagement allows citizens to easily participate in increasing positive outcomes for all.

How does Granicus help?

Granicus’ suite of tools each help to improve citizen engagement and the citizen experience. Public sector organizations that use Granicus’ govMeetings solution provides a public meeting experience that meets the needs of both the organization and citizens looking to participate. Agendas can be produced and published ahead of the meeting online, making it easier to find upcoming items that impact people and allow those who can’t attend to submit comments on the items ahead of time. During the meeting, a live stream of the video allows anyone to watch in real time or on-demand later. And because of its integration with govDelivery, citizens can get alerts straight to their inbox when minutes are digitally published. If they want to get more directly involved in specific issues, they can use Granicus Boards and Commissions to apply for a citizen board or committee. Granicus empowers modern digital government to engage with citizens like never before.

Learn more about how Granicus can help improve citizen engagement.

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