1. Good Governance in Georgia
PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE:
Enhancing Transparency, Accountability, and Services
 Georgia has made great strides toward improving all three, both
through e-process improvements and changes in the way
government works. So have many of your countries!
 People are still not satisfied – how can more progress be made?
 Look to the Future: Consider a rigorous mixture of improvements
including Participatory Governance.
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2. Good Governance in Georgia
WHAT IS PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE?
 Allowing citizens to join with their governments in decision-making through an
orderly and accessible process; giving Advice, making Comments, or actually Voting
on specific issues. Both Stakeholders and Citizens should be heard.
 Methods to accomplish this can be high-tech or low; from e-government sites to
village and town meetings; computers through television and radio to just people;
 Start with better information for government and parliamentary or representative
decision-makers, both national and sub-national. Then you can move to allowing
the citizens to decide…; and
 Make the processes accountable and transparent – open them to the eyes of the
people - and government will get the credit!

3. Good Governance in Georgia
How PG Can Work for You
 Increases Overall Legitimacy, which can lead to better compliance with policies and
processes, as well as reducing civil disruptions;
 Improves Citizen Relations, by letting them be heard and sometimes effect policy;
 Improves policy execution – good ideas can come from anywhere!;
 Increases Policy and Process Legitimacy through the publication of responses;
 Encourages the formation of Citizen groups and coalitions in support of good
governance;
 Increases effect of Anti-Corruption Initiatives because reporting is easier; and
 Builds Consensus through dialogues between citizens, stakeholders, and governments.
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4. Good Governance in Georgia
Participatory Governance At Work
PLANNING AND LAND USAGE
Public and Working Meeting Schedules, Documents, and Notes; plus scheduling citizens
or groups to speak;
 Focus Groups to Discuss issues – on line or off;
 Public Comments and even ratification of plans or proposals;
Building a Political Consensus to support plans and their implementation;
Scheduling and publicity for plan implementation, plus linking plans to budgets and
government operations; and
During Implementation, increased legitimacy can mean improved citizen reporting for
better enforcement of plan provisions.

5. Good Governance in Georgia
Participatory Governance At Work
Budget Development and Monitoring
Internal Development can use Participatory tools to allow and facilitate discussion and
comments within Government and between Decision-Makers;
 As our colleagues in India have already done, citizens and groups can comment on
policies, proposals, programs, performance, etc. This builds public budgetary support
and acceptance, and increases transparency and accountability;
 Government can use the results of these processes in support of their proposals; and
After adoption, and during budget execution, both internal and citizen comments and
dialogues can be used to increase efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and
accountability of government’s budgeted operations.

6. Good Governance in Georgia
PG Questions of Democracy
ACCESS, SECURITY, and REPRESENTATION
Access – What about people without computer access or in remote regions?
 Security – Need strong protections for privacy, particularly in citizen reporting processes
on corruption and/or policy execution. Reporting data gathered from participation events
or systems must also be protected. Persons should be protected from reprisals, and
information from corruption. Prosecution processes should be overseen by unbiased
bodies, and decisions be accountable and transparent;
Security II – Before allowing direct votes on policies, etc. legal or constitutional systems
must protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority; and
 Representation – Edmund Burke: Wise Men, Time and Space. Ways to reduce time and
space.

7. Good Governance in Georgia
PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE: CONCLUSIONS
Participatory Governance is a number of processes, based on expanding what you already
do, that:
 Improve Transparency, Accountability, and the Quality, Efficiency and Effectiveness
of Services;
 Enhance Communication between Government, Parliament, Stakeholders, and
Citizens; and
 Increase Democracy and can lower social and political tensions.
They Are Not Expensive (unless you want them to be).
They Are Radical (because they propose to let the people decide!)