The Dilemmas of Engagement - The role of consultation in governance
This paper - published by The Australian National University and Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) - maps out the principal approaches used by governments to consult with and engage affected communities of interest.
Politicians and public officials frequently emphasise the need for consultation as an essential element of the deliberative processes underpinning the development of policy, or the implementation of programmes and services.
Prof Jenny Stewart (formerly Professor in the School of Government at the University of Canberra), critically assesses the available literature to identify the 'good, bad, and the ugly' of engagement, and provides selected case studies.
This paper is a probing and dispassionate analysis of the rationales, methodologies and outcomes of consultation and engagement. It is not intended to be a 'how-to' manual for those consulting or the consulted. Nevertheless, there is much here for the policy practitioner, the researcher and members of those ‘communities of interest’ who might, one day, find themselves the target of engagement.
To download The Dilemmas of Engagement visit: http://epress.anu.edu.au/dilemmas_citation.html