Being a councilman is, in many ways, like having children. It demands a great sacrifice and nobody prepares you for it. In the area of citizen participation, there is also the incomprehension of colleagues and the opposition. In the last seven years we have dedicated ourselves to improving the functioning of citizen participation departments of local and regional governments in six countries. And while it is true that we learn something new in each job, we can also affirm that there are many patterns of errors that are repeated regardless of the country or the size of the municipality. In this paper we have compiled some of these errors and the strategies we have applied to resolve them.
This document does not aspire to be a scientific study, although we would have liked to have had the resources to carry out a more exhaustive investigation. But it can be read as a rescue manual or as a logbook, since it is a living text, which we are updating with each new experience. We hope you enjoy reading it and that you will draw at least one or two useful conclusions. Download the manual by clicking on the following button.
