REINVENTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS : PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION AND EMPOWERMENT

Author(s): Satish L. Patel

Source: The Indian Journal of Political Science , April - June, 2011, Vol. 72, No. 2 (April
- June, 2011), pp. 403-407
Published by: Indian Political Science Association

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/42761425

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The Indian Journal of Political Science

Vol. LXXII, No. 2, April-June, 2011 pp. 403-407

REINVENTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS : PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION AND

EMPOWERMENT
Satish L. Patel

Today the issues òf local governance can be better addressed with the involvement and participation of the people in day-
to-day governance. The framework of the paper deals with how the local government can be reinvented to ensure participation
and involvement of the people at grass roots level. This paper focuses on conceptual framework for people's participation and
empowerment. People's participation is essential for any programme of development to meet its objectives and achieving its goals.
The concept of people's participation can be related with the rights of citizenship and democratic governance.

The reinventing government movement,

necessary to. have the realignment of power
which started in the late 1980s is an effort to equations in favour of the oppressed including rural

reorient the focus of government operations fròm

poor by providing them sufficient opportunities to
participate in political structures. This enables
an inward-looking approach to an outward-looking
one by emphasizing the concerns and needs of to enhance their control over society's
them
resources and this can be possible suitably at
end users. Under the model proposed by Osborne
and Gaebler (1992), citizens are regarded as root level. (Asmerom, 1995) Thus a strong
grass
"customers" who become the central focus in and dynamic local government, functioning in a
genuine participatory mode can associate the
designing government service delivery. This model
oppressive in power sharing. The governing
also emphasizes the principle of "Community-
institutions which are created at local level can
ownership". Public officials are challenged to think
be considered as the instruments to ensure
about how to empower and involve citizens to take
people's participation and to generate process
ownership of community problems. The approach
of empowerment
urges officials to partner with citizen groups and
non profit organisations to identity solutions and The 73* and 74lh constitutional amendment

deliver public services effectively. acts have ensured the meaningful people's
Empowering and involvement of theparticipation at the local level. The provisions
of these acts have the potential of establishing
community are the necessary ingredients of Good
the procedural part of good governance. The
governance practice. In the age of globalisation
decentralised system of governance has certain
the initiative is essential which brings the state
more closer to the people, give voice to the
inherent advantages. It will bring efficiency as
decision-makers, who live locally, are likely to
people-especially the marginalised and the poor,
know about local conditions and would be in a
broadens participation and develops power. There
position to match resources and needs more
has to be enough scope for increasing incentives
precisely. It will also bring accountability in the
for participation in public affairs and reducing the
sense that the decision makers live and work
gap between the citizens and the governance
system. Empowering advocates that all stratainofclose contact with the users, and as such are
exposed to more effective scrutiny and greater
society should be provided adequate opportunities
pressure to deliver the goods.
for all round development, particularly to those
who cannot participate in power sharing. It is Apart from these advantages there are also

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 404
The Indian Journal of Political Science

more opportunities for local people to participate

achieved unless the community itself is involved.
in political and developmental processes atCommunity
local participation can cultivate the people
to acquire the capacity to appraise a situation,
level. Local governments also tend to give higher
priority to issues related to local development.
weigh the various possibilities and estimate their
The most striking features of 73rd andown
74th
contribution.

Amendments is reservation for SCs and STs Governing institutions at the grass root level
in proportion to their population and onecan
third
play a vital role in ascertaining the higher
degree
reservation for women towards representation inof people's participation. (Arora, 2001)
Localof
the local governance. Adequate representation institutions can enhance the process of
women and dalits will certainly bring qualitative
participation by formulating certain objectives
change in the functioning of local governments.
which will serve the following purposes:
1. Creating
However, this sort of people's participation may not will and determination among the
remove all evils of misgovernance but they have
members of the community for improvement

the potential for good governance at the local level

in their present and future life;

2. Identification
provided they are institutionally, financially and and development of the local
resources, thereby generating self-reliance
legally supported by the existing power structure.
People's Participation at Grass Root Level
among the community;
People's participation is a tool which 3. Achieving integrated area co-ordination
helps the people to realise that they can control among various agencies interested in
their lives and livelihoods. Participation can be community welfare;
4. Mobilizing the available manpower for
cultivated through community organisations based
on certain principles which are as follows: productive and useful activities;
1. Deal with problems which the community
5. Keeping the members of the community
recognizes as its problems; constantly informed about the developments
2. Provide for community self - determination; in the area;
3. Engage the community in an active way in
6. Arranging functional literacy programmes
the solutions of the problems; which can help them in understanding new
4. Move at a pace that is comfortable for the technology;
community; 7. Organizing various clubs of youth, women
5. Encourage growth in the community through to serve as centres of discussion and

solving of problems, and development;

6. Encourage community self-understanding 8. Providing an open forum for the community
and integration. to discuss its problems and find indigenous
Thus community organisations can solutions, which may be efficient and
involve members of communities in planning, economical;
implementing and monitoring of activities for9. To develop local leaders who can further
their own development as the development is a educate and mobilize the people in the area;
multidimensional phenomenon which cannot be10. Encouraging the people to adopt modern

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 405
Reinventing Local Governments: People's Participation and Empowerment

changes; which can accelerate their socio- in the process of governance so that they are
economic development; able to influence decisions about themselves,
11. Arranging extra-curricular activities tonot only that but people may take responsibility
generate social awareness through well for tackling local problems rather than expecting
designed publicity; and others to do so. The government at local level
12. Encouraging the people to develop can't solve everything by itself and nor can the
themselves rather than depend upon the
people, and it is, therefore, essential that they
Government for all activities and thus work together. (Bennett, 1990) Local government
become self-reliance, which is the keycan
to function efficiently it enough scope is provided
development. for empowering the people. There are three key
In this way we may reach to a conclusion ingredients
that to people's empowerment.
people's participation is a pre-condition for success 1. Active Citizens: People with the

of any developmental programme and there motivation,

must skills and confidence for speak up for
be an inbuilt mechanism to involve people in their
theirissues and problems and they should be able
conceptualization, planning, implementation,
to say what improvements are needed.
monitoring and management of resources. The 2. Strengthened Communities: ommunity
groups with the capability and resources to bring
significance of people's participation is highlighted

people together to work out shared solutions.

by the World Health Organisation in the following
words (Hiroshi, 1982) : 3. Partnership with Public Bodies: Public
"People are the true measure of the bodies willing and able to work as partners with
local people.
success of policies and programmes. At the same
time, people are the determinants of success. Empowerment should be the central aim
Experience teaches us that, whether in the of the local government to give local people and
most sophisticated cities or in the most remote local communities more influence and power to
villages, when people act with determination improve their lives. It should be about creating
and understanding in pursuit of goals they deem strong, prosperous communities and delivering
essential, they achieve success. Previously better public services through a rebalancing of
insoluble problems are solved and resources are the relationship between the local government
mobilized. Miracles happen." and local people.
People's Empowerment Empowerment should be the key concern for
Empowering people means the giving of local government. Representatives of the people
confidence, skills, and power to people to shape are elected to put local people first and they can
and influence what public bodies do for ťhem. It do so that is by constantly seeking to enrich their
is also the process whereby public bodies can mandate with a live contact with residents about
reach to the people to create empowerment how to improve quality of live. Empowerment
opportunities. Empowerment is essentia!! Ito make of the people and participative democracy are
life better and for that it is necessary 1:o work essential compliments to direct representative
together. It involves more people to be ass ociated democracy. Democracy can work best at the local

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 406
The Indian Journal of Political Science

level if the governing process gives three key difference to their lives,
outcomes indicated as follows: a framework is created to enable service

1. Greater participation, collective action and providers and local people to work together
engagement in democratic process. to improve the lives of every one.
2. Changes in attitudes towards community
* active citizenship is fostered through greater
empowerment. rights for people to participate, matched by
3. Improved performance of public services well understood responsibilities towards
and quality of life. their community.
These outcomes can significantly improve Over the last few years to serve the purpose
the lives of the people at local level and the
of good governance, many of local governments
local people can be assured of better and more
have become better at engaging with communities
responsive services. Such outcomes can also through better information, consultation processes
increase democratic legitimacy for institution and user feedback on services. This is important,
existing at local level. but real empowerment needs to go beyond the
In short, the process of empowering the
process of engagement. It must make people
people at local level should enlist certain objectives
feed differently about themselves and their power
to influence.
for the government working at local level. These
objectives are described as follows: The success of any governmental institution,
1. Widening and deepening empowerment whether national, state or local, depends upon
opportunities locally by providing information, relationship between citizen and administration.
consulting and involving local people. Local institutions should not function as machinery
2. Supporting and enabling people to take up but in a human and purposeful way. The people
empowerment opportunities. in local body should have a sense of dedication,
3. Strengthening local representative responsibility, be responsive and alert to the
democracy aspirations of the citizens. Citizens, on the other
These objectives will help the local hand, should also provide meaningful cooperation
government institutions to ensure that: to local bodies. Under such n atmosphere, it brings
public bodies recognize the value of about social change and modernization in the
empowerment both as process and in country. The strengthening of democracy in its
delivering more effective decisions, social and economic aspect has to be attained
public bodies have the skills, support and through the participation on the part of the people. A
local knowledge to include empowerment similar view is evident in international thinking. The
in their everyday work, UNDP framework for Copenhagen implementation
local people are equipped with the tools and (Bandopadhyay,1996) outlines the basic goal as
confidence to come together and find theirsustainable human development, eradication of
own solutions to shared challenges, poverty, job creation and sustainable livelihood,
local communities have opportunities to takeadvancement of women, and environment
more control over the services that make a protection, it goes on the argue that empowerment

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 407
Reinventing Local Governments: People's Participation and Empowerment

of people is central to these commitments. development of democratic process.

Summing Up : References :

The grass root institutions will remain 1. Arora R. K. (Ed.)(2001); People Centred
Governance, Adekh Publishers, Jaipur.
genuine institutions of democracy if there is
2. Asmerom H. K., et. al (1 995); "Good Governance,
genuine scope for people's participation and Decentralisation and Démocratisation in Post

empowerment otherwise these institutions will Colonial State." iJPA, Vol. 41, No. 4, October-
December.
remain as institutions without roots. It can be said
3. Bandopadhyay D. (1996); "Administration
that the real strength of local governance lies
Decentralisation and Good Governance."
in the awareness, involvement and participation Economic and Political Weekly, November 30.
of inhabitants of the area in all the activities 4. Bennett, Robert J. (Ed.) (1 990); "Decentralisation
Local Governments and Markets: Towards a Post
concerning them. It is visualised that literacy,
Welfare Agenda." Oxford, U. K«
awareness, access to information and involvement
5. Gupta, D. N. (2004); "Decentralisation - Need for
in the decision-making accelerate the pace of
Reforms". Concept Publishing Company, New
people's participation in local governance. In sum,Delhi.
6. Hiroshi Nakajimo, (1982) 'Editorial : A Grand
strengthening of governing institutions at local level
Alliance', World Health, New York.
ensures the overall growth and development of the
7. Jha, S.N. and Mathur P.C. (1 999); "Decentralisation
country. People's participation and empowerment
and Local Politics". Sage Publication, New Delhi.
enable growth with equity along with ensuring the

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