From political won't to political will - Carmen Malena

Despite a recent wave of democratization around the world, traditional systems of representative democracy seem to be in crisis. Citizens in both the North and the South lack opportunities, rights and access to information and have expressed growing disillusionment with their governments. Ordinary citizens (especially women, poor people and other marginalized groups) are largely excluded from the political processes that directly affect their lives. There is now growing consensus that good governance is participatory governance (PG), but public officials are often reluctant to adopt such an approach. ""From Political Won't to Political Will"" addresses the particular challenge of encouraging these officials to involve citizens in the political process. The book brings together participants from CIVICUS' 2008 workshop on PG. Coming from the perspective of civil society actors, they discuss issues such as identifying PG champions, demonstrating the benefits of PG to governments, and building trust. Their practical and highly original findings will interest anyone eager to see the empowerment of people around the world.