Public participation and European citizenship

In PDCS we design and facilitate processes of involving citizens in public decision-making, because we believe voices of citizens are essential to democratic running of public affairs. We also consider very important any approaches which help identify and involve various stakeholders into cooperation processes such as cooperative planning processes aimed to solve public issues or to develop public policies at local, regional, national, or European levels.

To better promote participative and cooperative approaches to public decision-making, we offer training to representatives of public and nonprofit sectors, directly design cooperative processes, facilitate public discussions or analyze impact of participative decision-making in relation to public conflicts.


Examples of projects and activities

  • PDCS is included in the program of Slovak Academy of Sciences Center of Excellence dealing with research and development of citizenship and participation and the related challenges for 21st century (COPART).
  • In cooperation with Agora, Czech Republic and the International Institute for the Study of Culture and Education, and the University of Lower Silesia, Poland, PDCS organized public debates on two topics common for all three countries: "The Rise of Populism. Majorities, Minorities, and Their Rights" and "Town Borders - Social and Cultural Stratification As an Example of Discrimination?" Agora Czech Republic created and published a leaflet bringing comparison of the situations in individual countries and emphasizing common as well as differing points made in individual discussions.
  • PDCS is a partner in the project Dialogue on Community Development: Discourse and Practice in Central and Eastern Europe.  
  • PDCS facilitated the participative process on the future of rural areas of Europe in the Carpathian cross-border panel under the project European Citizens’ Panel coordinated for this region by the Carpathian Foundation. Further information is available at www.citizenspanel.eu.
  • PDCS provides methodological guidance to the PrieStory program of Ekopolis Foundation. Further information is available at www.priestory.sk
  • PDCS undertakes activities within the POLITEIA - Network for Citizenship and Democracy in Europe. Further information about the network is available at www.politeia.net.

   

 This program area is covered in PDCS by:

Karolína Miková

Gabriel Bianchi

Zora Paulíniová

Ján Mihálik

Peter Guštafík


Our experience

PDCS started to work more actively in this program area in 1996, in connection to a joint program with ETP Slovakia "Local Initiatives Support Program". PDCS then provided training of staff in community initiatives, a training series for community leaders and a number of consultation sessions for this specific group of noprofit organizations.

We also try to foster the values underlying participatory decision-making and cross-sector cooperation through training courses for public administration representatives. For example, in 1997-1998 we implemented the project "Effective decision-making at the local level", providing training to representatives of local governments and state administration in several regions of Slovakia (Trenčianske Teplice region, Prešov region, and Piešťany region) as well as consultation to representatives of local government in Ružinov part of Bratislava. Later we provided more training courses for local government in towns of White Carpathians region along the Czech-Slovak border. In addition, we trained public administration representatives in effective negotiation, mediation, cooperative planning, effective decision-making, and problem solving (for such clients as Slovak Environmental Inspection Office, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family, and local governments through Regional Educational Centers).

In the Czech Republic, we worked with the Community Partnership Support Initiative (1999-2000) in providing training courses to implementers of community projects and in publishing the collection of case studies Six Different Views on Nonprofit Organizations. We also conducted evaluation of the program Places and People of the Via Foundation (2002) designed to support project of reconstruction of public spaces with the involvement of public. Finally, we provided a number of training courses to the Center for Community Work Support (2001-2002).

In addition, we work with similar programs in other, mostly transforming countries. As example, we can mention training of citizen advocacy and citizen participation for a coalition of four organizations supported by USAID in Georgia (2002) or training on cooperation between nonprofits and local governments which was provided within the Stability Pact Program in Hungary for participants from Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia (2001). 

Publications (in Slovak, unless mentioned otherwise)

Miková K., Z. Pauliniová: Public Participation/ Občianska participácia pre všetkých ľudí, ktorí chcú spolurozhodovať o mieste kde žijú, PDCS 2001

 

Miková K, Bianchi G.: The citizens and public decision-making in Ondrušek a kol.: A Reader for non-profit organizations/ (in English), PDCS, 2000

 

Miková, K.: Vybrané formy občianskej participácie v Komunikácia, prejavy a protokol, Praktická príručka komunálneho politika, RAABE, 2007 

Miková K., Ondrušek D.: Prevencia verejných konfliktov v komunite, v Staroňová K., Sičáková-Beblavá E. ed.: Verejná politika a miestna samospráva: Štyri princípy spravovania, Ústav verejnej politiky Fakulty sociálnych a ekonomických vied Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave, 2006

Miková K., Mihálik J., Rapošová l.: Prípadové štúdie v Mládežnícka participácia na Slovensku: súvislosti, príklady a nástroje, Rada mládeže Slovenska, 2005

Miková K., Z. Pauliniová, L. Briestenský, G. Bianchi: Občianska participácia, CD manuál pre pracovníkov samospráv o účasti verejnosti na veciach verejných, EKS a PDCS, 2003

Ondrušek D., Woleková H., Zelenáková M., Miková K.: Tri sektory spoločnosti: konkurencia či spolupráca v Ondrušek a kol.: Čítanka pre pokročilé neziskové organizácie, PDCS, Bratislava, 2000

Zelenaková M., Miková K.: Komunitné projekty v kontexte komunintého rozvoja a filantropie, v Neziskové organizace šestkrát jinak, CPSI, Praha, 2001

Miková K.: Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Process: Three Baltimore’s Case Studies, 1998/99

Miková K., Bednařík A.: Evaluácia programu Místa a lidé, 2002

Miková K.: Evaluácia programu Podpora Komunitných nadácií Nadácie otvorenej spoločnosti, 2000 a 2002