Deliberative Democracy: The Effects of Participation on Political Efficacy

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, Public Affairs, 2007This dissertation examines the relationship between deliberative democracy, the idea that public decisions should be made by discussion among free and equal citizens, and internal and external political efficacy. Internal political efficacy is the extent to which people feel they can competently participate in politics; external political efficacy is the extent to which people feel that government is responsive to their interests. Some scholars assert that deliberative democracy can increase perceptions of political efficacy; however, little empirical research has tested this proposition. To help fill that research gap, this study examines one deliberative process, the AmericaSpeaks 21st Century Town Meeting as convened by United Agenda for Children (UAC), a coalition of public and private organizations who joined to ensure a positive future for all the children (from birth to age 21) of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The primary research question is: What impact does participation in the AmericaSpeaks 21st Century Town Meeting have on participants' sense of internal and external political efficacy? This study uses a quasi-experimental research design, with survey data collected at three points in time from two non-equivalent comparison groups (participants and non-participants). Multiple analyses are conducted, including various regression models, Heckman treatment effect models, and propensity score matching models. The study has three major findings. First, before the Town Meeting, participants have significantly lower perceptions of external political efficacy than non-participants. Second, participation in the Town Meeting increases participants' perceptions of both internal and external political efficacy; however, only the increase in external political efficacy is statistically significant. Finally, the increase in external political efficacy persists over time. In sum, these results suggest that participation in this deliberative democracy process increases perceptions of political efficacy, and particularly perceptions of external political efficacy. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed

Four Perspectives on a Sustainable Future in Nosara, Costa Rica

The town of Nosara on Costa Rica’s Nicoya peninsula is home to a vibrant community of diverse residents and is adjacent to an important turtle nesting site. However, tensions between lifelong residents, more recent transplants, visitors, and developers have increased as more of the world discovers this once-isolated haven. Climate change, income inequality, and alienation from a distant government apparatus have further complicated effective land-use planning and fractured social cohesion. Using a mixed-method approach of in-depth interviews (n = 67), Q methodology (n = 79), and public deliberation (n = 88), we explored residents’ priorities for the future of their town. The results indicate four different perspectives on Nosara’s future. Despite the tensions among those four perspectives, they show consensus on one overarching community issue: the need for a sustainable development plan. The case also shows how Q-methodology can assist scholars and practitioners who embrace participatory approaches to policy development and conflict resolution in the environmental arena

Facilitating co-production in public services: management implications from a systematic literature review

Drawing on the results of a systematic literature review of empirical studies, this paper sheds light on six broad factors that facilitate the initiation and implementation of co-production in public services. The factors are classified into two overarching categories: organizational factors, including organizational arrangements, professional roles, and managerial tools; and procedural factors, including participant recruitment, participant preparation, and process design. For each set of factors, the paper provides a series of management implications. It concludes with additional observations for practice. Unfortunately, ‘one-size-fits-all’ does not apply to co-production. Policy-makers and public managers need use their knowledge, skills, and judgment to design, activate, and implement co-production activities. The paper presents three organizational factors (organizational arrangements, professional roles, and managerial tools) and three procedural factors (participant recruitment, participant preparation, and process design) that facilitate the initiation and implementation of co-production. Moreover, for each set of factors, the paper provides an important series of management implications that offer guidance to those who are using, or who wish to use, co-production in their organizations. Thus, this paper provides evidence-driven advice that can assist public managers and policy makers looking for ways to improve co-production in public services

Networks and landscapes: a framework for setting goals and evaluating performance at the large landscape scale

The objective of large landscape conservation is to mitigate complex ecological problems through interventions at multiple and overlapping scales. Implementation requires coordination among a diverse network of individuals and organizations to integrate local‐scale conservation activities with broad‐scale goals. This requires an understanding of the governance options and how governance regimes achieve objectives or provide performance evaluation across both space and time. However, empirical assessments measuring network‐governance performance in large landscape conservation are limited. We describe a well‐established large landscape conservation network in North America, the Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent, to explore the application of a social–ecological performance evaluation framework. Systematic approaches to setting goals, tracking progress, and collecting data for feedback can help guide adaptation. Applying the established framework to our case study provides a means of evaluating the effectiveness of network governance in large landscape conservation

Rising to Ostrom’s challenge:An invitation to walk on the bright side of public governance and public service

In this programmatic essay, we argue that public governance scholarship would benefit from developing a self-conscious and cohesive strand of "positive" scholarship, akin to social science subfields like positive psychology, positive organizational studies, and positive evaluation. We call for a program of research devoted to uncovering the factors and mechanisms that enable high performing public policies and public service delivery mechanisms; procedurally and distributively fair processes of tackling societal conflicts; and robust and resilient ways of coping with threats and risks. The core question driving positive public administration scholarship should be: Why is it that particular public policies, programs, organizations, networks, or partnerships manage do much better than others to produce widely valued societal outcomes, and how might knowledge of this be used to advance institutional learning from positives

Deliberative Democracy and Citizenship: In Search of the Efficacy Effect

Enthusiasm for deliberative democracy has grown in recent years, as many believe that it can create better citizens generally, and particularly increase their perceptions of political efficacy. Although the “efficacy effect” is frequently touted as a rationale for engaging in deliberative processes, there is little empirical research on the subject. This study examines the impact on perceptions of internal and external political efficacy of participation in one manifestation of a deliberative democracy process, the AmericaSpeaks 21st Century Town Meeting. Using quasi-experimental, longitudinal survey data, the study finds partial support for the claim that deliberative democracy produces the efficacy effect. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed