Citizens' Learning,Involvement, and Participation in Decision-Making Under the Democratic Ethos: A Theoretical Framework and the Israeli Experience |
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Authors: | Shlomo Mizrahi Eran Vigoda-Gadot |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Public Policy and Administration, Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva, Israel shlomom@bgu.ac.il;3. School of Political Sciences, Center for Public Management &4. Policy (CPMP), The University of Haifa , Haifa, Israel |
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Abstract: | Public administration literature usually assumes that citizens' participation in administrative decision-making (PDM) processes can improve public sector performance and trust. In this article, we question the universality of this assumption, arguing that PDM processes will have positive results in terms of performance and trust only when there are available channels to influence policy outcomes and democratic participatory behavior. We construct theoretical arguments based on a mechanism of social learning and illustrate them by reference to the case of Israel. The framework highlights the centrality and importance of culture and social characters for the study and planning of public administration reforms. |
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Keywords: | trust citizen participation in decision-making social learning political culture alternative politics |
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