Building Support for Participatory Governance
Edited by Carmen Malena

Published November 2009, 336 pages /6”x9”, Paperback, US$29.95
ISBN: 978 1 56549 311 7

Despite a recent wave of democratization around the world, traditional systems of representative democracy are in crisis. Citizens in both the North and the South lack opportunities, rights and access to information and have expressed growing disillusionment with their governments. Ordinary citizens (especially women, poor people and other marginalized groups) are largely excluded from the political processes that directly affect their lives. There is growing consensus that good governance is participatory governance(PG), but public officials are often reluctant to adopt such an approach.

From Political Won’t to Political Will addresses the particular challenge of encouraging these officials to involve citizens in the political process. The book presents contributions by participants from CIVICUS’ 2008 conference on building political will for PG. Representing the perspectives of both civil society and government actors, they propose a number of strategies and lessons such as demonstrating the benefits of PG to governments, complementing formal democratic institutions, building trust, supporting PG champions and using strategic political timing. Their practical and highly original findings will interest anyone eager to see the empowerment of people around the world

“Offers a trove of practical insights on what it takes to nurture and sustain political will, not just at the level of individual actors but up through organizations and the relationships between state and society.” - Alnoor Ebrahim, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School

“While we know a great deal about the principles and rules of representative (electoral) democracy, participatory democracy seems much less understood and appreciated. This book offers unique insights into the latter through a collection of fascinating case studies of participatory governance.” - Miklos Marschall, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Transparency International

“The experiences in this book show us how to do the difficult right instead of the easy wrong... A must read for all believers in participatory governance.” - Corazon Juliano‐Soliman (dinky), INCITEGov, the Philippines

“A fascinating analysis of experiences in constructing participatory governance in a wide range of countries and contexts… Will have great value for activists, policy‐makers and students, for it illuminates the ingredients of successful change even in the face of resistance from powerful interests.” - L. David Brown, Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Harvard University

“Participatory governance is essential... This book is an important contribution for understanding, and acting upon, the dynamics of politics in support of PG.” - Rajesh Tandon, President, PRIA, New Delhi, & Chair, Forum International Montreal

To read a CIVICUS press release of the book, please visit: http://www.civicus.org/press-release/1192

To obtain information or copies of the book, please contact:
Devendra Tak ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Communications and Media Manager, or Anu Pekkonen ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Participatory Governance Programme, CIVICUS. Tel: +27 11 833 5959.

To purchase a copy of the book online, please visit:
http://www.amazon.com/Political-Wont-Will-ParticipatoryGovernance/dp/1565493117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257511245&sr=8-1.

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