In recent decades public trust in government institutions is declining, the decline undermines the legitimacy of representative democracy. Public participation in policy-making processes has been identified as a means to strengthen public trust and as an effective tool for identifying problems and finding innovative solutions. However, many public participation processes fail to achieve their goal. This project examines how to increase effective civic engagement in policy-making processes.
The study revealed that there is a lack of representation of citizens in public participation processes in the central government. Policymakers prefer to consult with experts rather than the general public and even when consulting with civil society organizations and the business sector there is a limited list of repeat players.
Leading public participation processes is not perceived as an inherent part of a policy designer's role. The experience is usually negative and does not yield enough value for policy designers. Policy designers' lack of professional knowledge in the field of public participation leads to ineffective management of these processes so that their results do not justify the inputs invested in such processes.
The suggested solution is a wizard that supports policy designers in leading a participatory policy-making process - from planning to decision making. The planning wizard assists the policy designer to choose the best platform to consult with the public in accordance with its goals and means, and to improve the public reach out. The more policy designers engage in quality participatory processes with the public, the feasibility of policy-making based on public needs and desires will increase.