Tools of Participation Citizens

Each one of us, either actively or passively, involves in civic processes.

Is it worthwhile to focus on "inequality", and is it worth labeling it? Where is the limiting brink in the legislative "stick and carrot", which is unable to turn a coin into a negative reverse? And can legislation to ensure the free expression of the will in these matters?

If the real goal is to ensure equality, then for artificial instruments there is no place. After all, same legislative quotas in the political aspect provide only the forced participation with the least involvement …

Involvement and natural transition from forced participation to such involvement are demonstrated by the personal experience of Gudrun Mosler-Tornstrom (President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe).

Trust or Rating? Do you have a rod or you are wagging from the political wind, contrary to all basic human values? 

Actual examples of 2- and 4- consecutive mandate of mayors are saying exactly about the presence of rods with clearly expressed human values to achieve the well-being of the electorate, even without a majority in the local council, but ensuring the transparency of its work (experience acting mayors at the moment - Vladimir Prebilic, mayor of Kocejve, and Sasa Paunovic, mayor of Paracin).

Certainly, all want here and now – but the precariousness of the trust says otherwise.

Participation Budget, born in 1989 in Latin America, is one of the most vivid tools for citizen participation in the development of their municipalities and budget allocation - not only local but also the state as in the example of the National Participation Budget of Portugal (Giovanni Allegretti). Of course, if this tool is not transferred into the political environment …

It is precisely the line of "political" participation in this tool, along with the general use of e-tools and other issues both in Ukraine and in Europe, together with Tim Hughes (director of Involve, UK), Serhiy Karelin (an expert on budget politics and local democracy, UA), Giuliano Bobba (Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society at the University of Turin), Andriy Kolobov (the Chairman of National Youth Council of Ukraine), Serhiy Loboiko (co-initiator of the creation of the Centre for Development of Innovation, UA), Jette Sandager (KVINFO, Denmark), Inese Subevica (Latvia), and other experts, were discussed during the Forum for Local Democracy in Ukraine (4-7 July 2017).

The result of the Forum was the adoption of a final Declaration which emphasizes the need for transparency and trust, as well as for initiatives promoting equal opportunities for women and men and for better participation of young people.

So let's move within the framework of the famous definition of the term "democracy" from Abraham Lincoln - Government of the People, by the People, for the People.