Drawing on an inspiring collection of first-hand experiences from around the world,this publication by the South-Africa headquartered CIVICUS examines why political will for participatory governance is lacking and what can be done about it. It identifies strategies and actions that have proved effective in nurturing political will and outlines what citizens, civil society actors, elected representatives, and government officials can do to build broad-based support for citizen empowerment and participatory governance. According to the authors, good governance requires strong, effective government and the active involvement of citizens and civil society organizations. Despite the impressive successes and significant impacts of an ever-expanding universe of participatory governance experiences, lack of political will for participatory governance remains a stumbling block. The book recommends: building trust between civil society and state actors; emphasizing the concrete benefits of participatory governance to governments; complementing formal democratic institutions; nurturing champions of reform and using strategic political timing.(Original source: http://civicus.org/what-we-do/1191)
