top of page

PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC POLICY

 

African Development Policy (ADP) has a wealth of experience in and knowledge of public participation in governance. We believe it is the heartbeat of a participatory democracy. We work in the public and private sector to facilitate public participation, enhance civic awareness, knowledge and skills (civic wellbeing), collect and appraise participation data and to disseminate such data including knowledge previously locked into narrative reports.

 

Beyond the vote lies a vast public policy landscape calling out for efficient,

effective and quality engagement. It is critical that citizens engage in an

informed and empowered manner in public policy discussions, interpretation, supporting budgets, implementation and delivery evaluation. It is the essence of a participatory democracy, and of ‘good governance’, such as that which South Africa strives to be.

 

There are many ways in which citizens can engage civically - some ways are still evolving. What is key is that people, 'stakeholders, companies, employees, management, citizens, are aware of how, what, when and where they can engage in meaningful ways. Think of it as a form of citizen social wellbeing.

 

[CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR 'WE CITIZEN' COMMUNITY, CORPORATE AND PUBLIC WORKSHOP PROGRAMMES]

 

In turn public institutions need to ensure that there is equitable access to such engagement. The South African Parliament and its Legislatures desire to be institutions 'of the people, for the people'. As far back as 2002 there has been an appreciation by the South African Parliament (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces) of the need to proactively reach out to the people of South Africa, empowering them with civic knowledge, making engagement more accessible for all, enhancing cooperative governance and to learn from the people directly, in situ, of their experience of policy delivery and issues for consideration. Outreach initiatives include: Taking Parliament to the People, Provincial Week , Public Hearings and the recent establishment of the Parliamentry Budget Office.

 

As people are empowered with civic knowledge and skills, and opportunities are presented, so the quality of these initiatives has improved. Nevertheless it is recognised that more needs to be done regarding participation in legislation, oversight, budget process and other policy processes. Additionally it is vital that the data collected from public engagements moves beyond the paragraphs bound in reports into a data-appraisal stream from which quality meaningful findings and insights can emerge. These in turn can better inform policy, programme design-planning, communication and access.

 

Please contact us for your public and/or private sector public policy participation needs.

bottom of page