Journal Article

2

Auditing the Capacity of Institutions and Communities to Deliver Democratic Participation

Published on 1 January 2000

This article outlines a framework for auditing community participation in public decision-making.

In its various forms – involvement in community groups, school governing committees, partnership boards, neighbourhood forums, etc – it is one of the most widespread forms of public volunteering.Yet rarely does it live up to expectation. Thousands of people retreat back into their communities after bruising experiences, disappointment and broken promises. Common explanations for the failures of participation schemes are often oversimplistic. Our intention was to delve deeper into the politics and the mechanics of participation, and from there to  construct a tool which both communities and institutions could use effectively as part of an ongoing assessment process.

Authors

Danny Burns

Professorial Research Fellow

Publication details

authors
Burns, D., Taylor, M.
journal
Voluntary Action Journal, volume 2, issue 3

Share

Related content

Opinion

Woman or Indigenous? How the UN human rights treaties simplify discrimination

Sofie Nielsen, MA Gender & Development, Class of 2024-25

16 April 2025

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.