Participation arrangements in Ghent: 'searching for the underlying story: a dynamic approach'

There are two dominant but seemingly contradictory narratives about the reasons for the dynamics of local participation arrangements. On the one hand, we have the traditional perspective focusing on the link between psychological characteristics and participation on the one side and on the other side on the barriers to participation (Hooghe 1999; Verba, Scholzman & Brady 1995). On the other hand we have the studies that examine participation arrangements from a sociological point of view: they point out that institutions have an impact on the participation arrangements (see for example Lowndes et al. 2001, 2006). This paper wants to detect the relevant variables that influence participation arrangements over time. In how far are these two stories compatible at the Flemish local level? If not, which one is more correct? The paper starts by reviewing the international literature on local participation in order to detect a list of relevant influencing variables. By means of a historical longitudinal analysis in the Flemish city Ghent a number of participation arrangements are identified over six legislative periods. With participation arrangement we refer to the tools and trajectories initiated and implemented by local government in order to organize citizen participation On the basis of an extensive documentary analysis and on interviews we come a set of factors that are influencing the functioning of Flemish local participation arrangements. The importance of this kind of research is twofold. First, a dynamic and longitudinal analysis on local participation is rather innovating. Most researches have a rather static view. The impact of variables on one instrument is researched at a certain point in time. However, participation arrangements evolve over time and a dynamic approach is more fitting. Second, it may provide some insight in the factors stimulating people to participate. Understanding what drives people’s participation at the local level is an important issue, especially in the light of the declining levels of engagement as well as current political commitments to promote active citizenship (Lowndes et al. 2006)

Innovating the delivery of individual services within Flemish cities: inventory of ICT-driven heterogeneity

Flemish cities are setting up large scale reform trajectories to make their transactional service delivery more customer orientated, customer friendly and integrated. The implementation of new ICTs plays a key role in these innovation processes; there seems to be a great, technological deterministic, belief in the possibilities offered by for example mid office technologies. In this paper, we explore and compare such innovation trajectories within two Flemish cities. We describe the context, the object, the process and the evaluation of change. Based on this inductive analysis, we reflect upon the dependent and independent variables that structure the processes of change. We make use of a ‘neo-institutional theoretical lens’ to identify relevant internal and external institutional factors that shape the implementation context for the organizational changes. The analysis generates interesting findings. Whereas the external environment to a large degree functions as a stable variable, the heterogeneity between both cities is much more determined by the organizational ‘path’, i.e. the management model, capacities, subcultures, existing ICT-infrastructure, etc. Further research is needed as important questions remain unanswered. For example: does the mixed set of organizational, technological and cultural changes also actually produces the outcomes that were formulated in terms of both increased effectiveness and efficiency