A model for governments and active citizens

"A model for governments and active citizens"

The Participa+ model brings together a set of theoretical and practical guidelines to foster effective citizen engagement, understood as an expanded process of participation that empowers citizens and creates a positive social impact. The model seeks to propose strategies for strengthening citizen leadership and effective interaction between citizens and public institutions in both directions: from citizen influence on institutions and from institutions on citizens.

Its purpose is to overcome the limitations of a traditional model of citizen participation that ignores and discourages new forms of involvement and continues to perpetuate the problems of democratic legitimacy through three strategic lines: citizen leadership, advocacy, and open government. The definition of these three lines is the result of an analysis of: 1) the actors involved in citizen engagement processes; 2) the processes that enable compliance with the conditions outlined in the definition of citizen engagement; and 3) best practices identified in international models, theoretical studies, and national case studies.