Including diverse profiles and visions at every stage of the public policy cycle (design, execution, monitoring, evaluation) is essential to ensuring quality citizen participation. In this regard, two of the main objectives of citizens’ participation policies include:
- Make public policy more effective by including a diversity of citizens’ opinions.
- Improve our democratic institutions by incorporating voices lacking access to other channels of communication with the administration.
Removing obstacles to people’s right to participate must be at the center of any citizen participation policy. Today, one of the most flagrant shortcomings of participation mechanisms is that administrations are unable to reach groups who are less inclined to participate like young people, the elderly, or people born outside Catalonia. Measures to improve people’s work-life balance are part of the response to this challenge.
