Call for Papers: public participation in CBOs and local gov’t

Posted by on February 18, 2005

[posted from Comm-Org listserv]

From: “Silverman, Robert”

Papers are sought for a special issue of the Journal of the Community Development Society on ?public participation in community-based organizations and local government.? Public participation is central to community development, yet research focusing on the scope of citizen engagement in local governance needs to be expanded upon in order to inform practice and promote greater equity in society. In its most limited form, public participation entails a process where citizens are notified of impending public policy decisions and given limited opportunities to comment on them. At the opposite extreme, public participation can involve processes that empower a broad spectrum of citizens in policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. This special issue of the Journal of the Community Development Society will examine public participation in community-based organization and local government, as well as grassroots efforts aimed at promoting citizen empowerment and community control in decision-making. Papers are invited that examine techniques used by community development practitioners to enhance citizen participation as well as contemporary trends in grassroots involvement. Studies that focus on public participation as it relates to inequality faced by low-income and minority communities in both central cities and rural communities are of particular interest. Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2005. Please contact the guest editor prior to making submissions at: Robert M. Silverman, Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University at Buffalo, 201K Hayes Hall, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214. E-Mail: rms35@ap.buffalo.edu