Citizen Participants in Public Bureaucracies

Abstract

This article cites a natural tension between citizen participation in public agencies and the drive for organizational stability. The power stability hypothesis, based on exchange theory, suggests that weaker organizations are more likely to offer citizens stronger roles in their planning processes. The article analyzes a survey of 394 citizen units in 193 planning and development agencies in Georgia. A standardized measure of the citizen-agency contract is developed. A panel of experts provides data on the level of power of host agencies. The central finding of the study is the inverse association between the level of agency power and strong citizen roles.

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