by José Tulio Gálvez Contreras, Ph.D. Student in Public and Urban Policy
It is time for citizens to reclaim their power and take charge of the policy implementation process. Citizens should demand involvement in every step of the way from their elected officials. They should act in protest when they are dismissed by their elected officials on how decisions are made and how policies, rules, and regulations are implemented.
We are running out of time. We have to look at the past as a guide -- including decisions of past administrations -- but, not take them for granted. We have to move forward and look straight ahead to solving the problems that make us live in a world of inequality, injustice, and despair. Global issues are clearly evident to the eye -- climate change, pollution, water scarcity, economic poverty, social injustice and environmental degradation. With Donald Trump winning the U.S elections puts us on an even more pressing time constraint. The man ran a campaign based on a divisive rhetoric that now all the progress that had been made in terms of economic development, environmental protection, and human rights recognition are at stake. He has been very unpredictable all along the election cycle and has promised to deliver some policies that can exacerbate the issues we deal today with. So, it is up to, us, citizens to decide on what is it that we want to do next. Either sit back, stay on the sidelines, be comfortable with the system in the past or take action, feel enliven by the possibility to cause positive change for themselves and that of future generation.
In fact, there are cases in which local actors have played an immense role by impacting their communities in such ways that rights are safeguarded. Larrue and Fournier, for example, in their article The Role of Local Actors in Water and Flood Management in France introduce their readers to two cases that exemplify that "the setting up of different cooperation between communes has also led to greater involvement among local communities on issues concerning the environment ". In both cases they attempt to embody the idea of intercommunality. The first cases is about Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, a commune in France under considerable stress due to the risk of flooding. The second case is about management of the Veyle River – a privately own body of water. In this instance, communes and their intercommunalities assert themselves in a field of action with strong private sector component. In both cases, clearly displayed the necessity for communication, negotiation, and recognition of interdependence among local actors. In fact, the cases show that public actors in order to play a role in the decision making process, have to organize and regroup themselves, and innovate the definition of instruments of intervention. Although Larrue and Fournier do not explain how citizens’ participation supported the policy implementation process, it is clear that there must strong support for the potential of intercommunality. Inter-communality can only work with citizens’ endorsement. Of course, recognizing that Public actors are at the heart of intervention between the state and the targeted and concerned groups.
In accordance to the idea of intercommunaity, for us citizens to reclaim our power on how policies are implemented, there are several steps that we must take. However, we must have the mindset to never give up on our ideals and stand with each other in Every step of the way. It is not an easy road that we have to take, nonetheless not impossible and the process rewarding. As most processes, we also have to recognize that change starts with a few because in Margaret Mead’s words: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." It is these few people who ignite the fire and light the stove to brew some citizenship action magic. The key ingredient, however, is creativity that is what will allow for the other ideas to emerge organically. Because the steps can be many and hard to explain in a few words, this essays introduces the first few.
An initial step is to reclaim our power by coming together around a specific interest. As we begin to get along, then we begin to identify the core of the issues that bring us together. We have to recognize that there are similarities and differences that either bring us together or tear us a part. Once we have agreed on common goals, we have discovered who our partners are and how can we enroll them in our community action plans. Additionally, we must always think about including their issues into our strategies.
IF we think about enacting policy, then we have to consider the advantages of cross-alliances such as what was portrayed in the idea of intercommunality by Larrue and Fournier. But also, we have to be aware of biases. At the very basic level, we have to think about partnership very strategically. We have to join efforts with groups such as social service workers and street-level bureaucrats. Lipsky in Street Level Bureaucracy says that social services workers’ actions constitute the services that individuals in different communities depend on. Street-level bureaucrats dominate political controversies because the policy delivered by street –level bureaucrats is most often immediate and personal. The decisions tend to be redistributive as well as allocative. And because in the assumption that members of alliances and partnership will not always agree on issues or on the mechanism to resolve them, we have to ensure that the rules of the game are clear and well established. Biases can be significant problem for the quality of service and for legitimacy of policy enactment. Therefore, Recognition that bias exists cannot happen if biased behavior is functionally useful. Efforts to eliminate bias will be most successful if they address directly the work problems for which prejudice is a solution.
Once, we have consolidated alliances and partnerships, at the same time overcome prejudice, what comes next is defining strategies that will lead us to our common policy goals – healthy environment, shared economy, sustainable spaces, and opportunities to proposer. In the case, of Donald Trump’s election, citizens are having mixed feelings and many are appalled by the results. Fear, protests, civil manifestations, some violence are some of the aftermath events taking place. Citizens are and are not organized yet, however, to act properly in the upcoming years. It is therefore important to rationalize our problems, internalize them, process, and then come together to identify how we can partner, work in collaboration, and cause the change that we want to see. It is not that easy, but it can be simple, if we start by recognizing our humanity. Public policy therefore is within the citizens’ reach. And citizens power is necessary to transform the world. Only with creativity the power of citizens to get involve with the policy making and implementation process will return. Citizens power is a necessity now in this times of uncertainty.
It is time for citizens to reclaim their power and take charge of the policy implementation process. Citizens should demand involvement in every step of the way from their elected officials. They should act in protest when they are dismissed by their elected officials on how decisions are made and how policies, rules, and regulations are implemented.
We are running out of time. We have to look at the past as a guide -- including decisions of past administrations -- but, not take them for granted. We have to move forward and look straight ahead to solving the problems that make us live in a world of inequality, injustice, and despair. Global issues are clearly evident to the eye -- climate change, pollution, water scarcity, economic poverty, social injustice and environmental degradation. With Donald Trump winning the U.S elections puts us on an even more pressing time constraint. The man ran a campaign based on a divisive rhetoric that now all the progress that had been made in terms of economic development, environmental protection, and human rights recognition are at stake. He has been very unpredictable all along the election cycle and has promised to deliver some policies that can exacerbate the issues we deal today with. So, it is up to, us, citizens to decide on what is it that we want to do next. Either sit back, stay on the sidelines, be comfortable with the system in the past or take action, feel enliven by the possibility to cause positive change for themselves and that of future generation.
In fact, there are cases in which local actors have played an immense role by impacting their communities in such ways that rights are safeguarded. Larrue and Fournier, for example, in their article The Role of Local Actors in Water and Flood Management in France introduce their readers to two cases that exemplify that "the setting up of different cooperation between communes has also led to greater involvement among local communities on issues concerning the environment ". In both cases they attempt to embody the idea of intercommunality. The first cases is about Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, a commune in France under considerable stress due to the risk of flooding. The second case is about management of the Veyle River – a privately own body of water. In this instance, communes and their intercommunalities assert themselves in a field of action with strong private sector component. In both cases, clearly displayed the necessity for communication, negotiation, and recognition of interdependence among local actors. In fact, the cases show that public actors in order to play a role in the decision making process, have to organize and regroup themselves, and innovate the definition of instruments of intervention. Although Larrue and Fournier do not explain how citizens’ participation supported the policy implementation process, it is clear that there must strong support for the potential of intercommunality. Inter-communality can only work with citizens’ endorsement. Of course, recognizing that Public actors are at the heart of intervention between the state and the targeted and concerned groups.
In accordance to the idea of intercommunaity, for us citizens to reclaim our power on how policies are implemented, there are several steps that we must take. However, we must have the mindset to never give up on our ideals and stand with each other in Every step of the way. It is not an easy road that we have to take, nonetheless not impossible and the process rewarding. As most processes, we also have to recognize that change starts with a few because in Margaret Mead’s words: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." It is these few people who ignite the fire and light the stove to brew some citizenship action magic. The key ingredient, however, is creativity that is what will allow for the other ideas to emerge organically. Because the steps can be many and hard to explain in a few words, this essays introduces the first few.
An initial step is to reclaim our power by coming together around a specific interest. As we begin to get along, then we begin to identify the core of the issues that bring us together. We have to recognize that there are similarities and differences that either bring us together or tear us a part. Once we have agreed on common goals, we have discovered who our partners are and how can we enroll them in our community action plans. Additionally, we must always think about including their issues into our strategies.
IF we think about enacting policy, then we have to consider the advantages of cross-alliances such as what was portrayed in the idea of intercommunality by Larrue and Fournier. But also, we have to be aware of biases. At the very basic level, we have to think about partnership very strategically. We have to join efforts with groups such as social service workers and street-level bureaucrats. Lipsky in Street Level Bureaucracy says that social services workers’ actions constitute the services that individuals in different communities depend on. Street-level bureaucrats dominate political controversies because the policy delivered by street –level bureaucrats is most often immediate and personal. The decisions tend to be redistributive as well as allocative. And because in the assumption that members of alliances and partnership will not always agree on issues or on the mechanism to resolve them, we have to ensure that the rules of the game are clear and well established. Biases can be significant problem for the quality of service and for legitimacy of policy enactment. Therefore, Recognition that bias exists cannot happen if biased behavior is functionally useful. Efforts to eliminate bias will be most successful if they address directly the work problems for which prejudice is a solution.
Once, we have consolidated alliances and partnerships, at the same time overcome prejudice, what comes next is defining strategies that will lead us to our common policy goals – healthy environment, shared economy, sustainable spaces, and opportunities to proposer. In the case, of Donald Trump’s election, citizens are having mixed feelings and many are appalled by the results. Fear, protests, civil manifestations, some violence are some of the aftermath events taking place. Citizens are and are not organized yet, however, to act properly in the upcoming years. It is therefore important to rationalize our problems, internalize them, process, and then come together to identify how we can partner, work in collaboration, and cause the change that we want to see. It is not that easy, but it can be simple, if we start by recognizing our humanity. Public policy therefore is within the citizens’ reach. And citizens power is necessary to transform the world. Only with creativity the power of citizens to get involve with the policy making and implementation process will return. Citizens power is a necessity now in this times of uncertainty.