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This chapter, entitled "The advent of 'Civic Implication'",
aims to complement the analytical models we presented when we studied,
in the fourth episode, the "20th century Citizen Participation".
If you remember, we first presented a model that allowed to classify
the most important 'Administrative Participation' forms
-the ones sponsored by public authorities-
as well as the "informal or autonomous Participation"
-engagement that emerges directly and spontaneously from citizens,
civil society organizations and social movements-.
Within Municipal "Administrative participation" forms,
we reviewed participatory methods most commonly used,
considering both the moment they happen,
within the Policy-Making process
as well as the type of participants invited:
differenciating between an associative base, a individual base, or a mixed base.
For the Complex Participatory processes
we analyzed the most important criteria
to be considered for its implementation,
paying attention to its key moments, which are:
The 'Initiative and Coordination' phase, the 'mobilization' phase,
the proper 'participation' phase, and the final moment of application of the 'Results'.
Finally, we presented and analyzed
the famous 'Ladder of Citizen Participation', proposed by Sherry Arnstein,
which, through its gradation of the different 'intensities of administrative participation'
draws our attention to the fact that much of what is presented as 'participation'
is actually some kind of manipulation, or a form of tokenism.
The development of the ideas of the Ladder
by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)
and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as illustraded,
came to simplify Arnstein's vision, and thus concealed the most important aspects
of Arnstein's proposal.
For this reason, in this episode we present an alternative model,
updated for the twenty-first century
that at the same time deepens and 'clarifies' Arnstein's Ladder,
and covers not only the 'Administrative Participation'
but also the 'Autonomous Participation'.
This model allows to conceptualize and visualize the most essential
aspects of participatory processes.
Before presenting this model...
we will discuss the characteristics of the 21st Century's
participatory 'activities' and 'actions'.
You will remember the definition we gave for 'Citizen Participation',
"any activity that citizens voluntarily do
-either individually or through their groups and associations-
with the intention of directly or indirectly influencing public policy and the decisions
of the various levels of the political and administrative system."
Well, let's simplify it a little longer to say,
with the British organization 'Involve', that citizen participation is
'Everything that enables people to influence the decisions
and get involved in the actions that affect their lives.'
This definition is not only simpler but also much broader,
as it extends the area covered by 'participation'
to consider not just 'public policy' decissions,
but all decisions and actions that affect 'the people'.
This way, even the term 'citizen participation' seems now too narrow,
and it is thus desirable to transcend the very notion of 'participation'
to start better talking about 'citizen implication' or 'civic implication',
a notion that refers to a deeper and broader reality.
'Citizen participation' refers primarily
to a process of 'collaboration' with something that, ultimately,
belongs 'outside', that is not 'mine', that does not belong to me.
It is the authorities who, in a sense, allow me to 'participate',
to 'contribute' in something that, in fact, belongs to them.
My contributions will thus be considered just insofar it is convenient for them.
Well, in the 21st century, that now begins,
more and more we will be speaking about 'Civic Implication',
a much broader notion that, however,
also subsumes the idea of participation.
When I 'implicate myself', I get involved in something that is 'mine'.
And I make myself responsible for it.
Public affairs will thus be understood as a 'shared good'
that belongs both to me, as a conscious and responsible citizen,
and to the authorities and the government,
as the representatives elected by the citizens to manage them.
Citizen participation, in some ways,
is a prerogative that the ruler may choose to exercise or not:
"Should I allow the citizens 'participate' in governing?"
Well: yes, or not; depending on the subject, the circumstances and my convenience.
Contrarily, with the notion of 'citizen implication'...
if as government I deny the citizens the opportunity to get involved,
I'm forbiding them to carry out their duty, and they will be able to demand it.
This 'change of terms' implies a 'change in mentality'...
that the new times are increasingly demanding from us.
Well, let's quickly see how this 'citizen implication' materialize,
which 'actions' and 'activities' are carried out every day
by citizens all over the world, that make this "civic implication" come into existence.
In our analysis we will differentiate, first, on the 'ACTOR',
that is, 'who' is the acting individual.
Second, we will consider the 'AIMED AREA OF INFLUENCE', that is,
the 'what for': the area, the sphere or the group on which the individual acts.
The first way of acting is 'acting as a GROUP', the one
more frequently used in the past:
I, acting as 'part of' a group, organization, or social movement.
The secong approach has also been very present throughout the last century,
and refers to the INDIVIDUAL action: I acting alone,
trying, by means of my individual acts,
to exert some influence over things that affect my life.
The third form of action would be acting as a NETWORK:
I, acting 'with others', coordinating my actions,
in many different ways, with those of other people and groups,
without necessarily sharing a sense of belonging to the same group or collective.
This 'coordination relationships' may have a more sporadic character
and be related to just specific actions, or be more stable, or even be institutionalized.
The intensity of those coordination ties can also vary much.
As for the action's 'AIMED AREA OF INFLUENCE', what the action intends to achieve,
it may be, first, of INDIVIDUAL type.
In such cases, the action aims to
'change myself or some other person or specific individuals. "
Alternatively, instead of 'changing', what the can action aim to achieve
is to 'reassert myself or reassert some specific individuals
about something I consider important. "
The second 'AIMED AREA OF INFLUECE' would be what we call 'REDUCED or INTERNAL'.
It is when the one I want to change, or help, is a group I belong to,
or any other small group.
Finally, the 'AIMED AREA OF INFLUENCE' could be 'LARGE or EXTERNAL'.
In this case the action is aimed at changing
"My environment, or a large group or even 'society at large'"
This classification can sound somewhat vague,
but that is not a problem, precisely because it seeks to create a model
that is applicable to a wide range of participatory or civic activities and, therefore,
it needs to allow some laxness in its categories.
In fact, the assignment of an action to one or another category
in many cases may depend not so much on objective factors
related to the action,
but subjective values related to how the person -that acts- conceives,
and conceptualizes, internally, his acts.
If we combine these two dimensions of 'WHO' and 'WHAT' of the citizen actions,
we get nine different categories of civic action.
We provide some illustrative examples of each, as we will not go into details.
You can press the 'Pause' to take a look.
Or better yet, think of yourself in activities
(perhaps even more appropriate than those listed now)
that fit into each category.
What we want to stress now is how ICTs,
-especially the Internet, the Social Web and mobile technologies-
are affecting these nine forms of participatory action.
We will explore how the 'fairy dust' of ICT
enhance the various types of civic action.
Well, from an intuitive approach,
we note that both individual action with individual aims,
as the actions of group with an individual or reduced/internal aims...
have been strengthened.
However, we note that actions aimed to influence a Large or External scope,
be it by acting as an individual or as part of a group,
have been further strengthened.
Finally, we see that the other forms of participation
have benefited enormously
of Internet and ICTs:
All forms of actions related to Netwoks,
and the individual actions whose aim is to affect or change a small, nearby area.
If you think about it, acting as a NETWORK,
that 'I acting with others', is something that didn't existed, until recently.
It is, indeed, a new type of citizen mobilization,
whose potential we are just beginning to glimpse.
This column is the one that best represents the workings of the 'magic cauldrons'
presented in the previous episode.