Dr. Albert W. Dzur, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Bowling Green State University and friend of ICMA's Center for Management Strategies has been doing very important work on the topic of citizen engagement work by local government managers.  He calls those managers who look to make  participation an everyday part of life in their communities "democratic professionals"  and has set about interviewing them asking some key fundamental questions about their beliefs and actions to imbed engagement as a part of the work they do as local government professionals. 

For those of us who work at engaging our communities, the work that Albert is doing is very important as it helps to share best practices among local governments who are doing engagement well.  Please take a few minutes and read through the following explanation of his research project as well as three interviews with managers who have embedded engagement as a key part of their orgainzation's work. 

As a part of our civic engagement  work through the Center for Management Strategies, we will continue to share Albert's work as inspiration for local government managers everywhere to create "trench democracy" in their communities.    Thanks to Albert and those "democratic professionals" out there who are inspiring all of us toward even better work in this very important field.

“Trench Democracy: Substantive Participatory Innovation in Public Administration”

 Albert W. Dzur

Reform minded public administrators I call “democratic professionals” are creating power-sharing arrangements in institutions that have blocked or only narrowly channeled citizen participation in the past.  They listen carefully to those outside their institutions, try to foster physical proximity between people, encourage co-ownership of problems previously seen as beyond lay citizen’s ability or responsibility, and seek out opportunities for collaborative work.  Democratic action becomes endogenous to occupational routines, often involving people who would not consider themselves activists or even engaged citizens.

The reformers I am interested in are making real-world changes piece by piece, practice by practice.  In the trenches all around us they are renovating and reconstructing seemingly inert local and municipal government bodies. They are changing routine, everyday practices where we live and work, seeking to make democracy part of daily life, not just something that happens every election cycle.

I have been asking innovative public administrators across the United States these demanding questions: 

(1) How have you repaired or created public spaces of proximity and collaboration in your organizations? How have you brought citizens into reflective contact with each other to do substantive, non-symbolic work?

(2) How has your democratic practice shifted or shared responsibility for the goals of your organization?  How have you managed to incorporate non-professionals into your decision making while ensuring competence and accountability?

(3) How have you released the capacities of those throughout your operational hierarchy and of those affected by your organization but not employed by it?  How have you broken through traditional barriers that distance professionals from lay citizens?

(4) Hardest of all, what have you created that will outlast your career?  Have you shifted institutional habits so that the inefficiencies of lay participation are recognized as costs worth paying in order to enjoy collective or long-term benefits?  Have you successfully and durably trained the next generation of democratic practitioners who will take up similar roles in your organization?

Inside their unremarkable offices in beige buildings along some very normal streets are some amazingly dedicated and creative people breathing new life into American democracy.  Their stories can help us understand the obstacles confronted and the resources available for deep cultural change today.  Let’s get to know them.

http://www.bostonreview.net/blog/dzur-trench-democracy-public-administration-interview-kimball-payne

http://www.bostonreview.net/blog/albert-w-dzur-trench-democracy-public-administration-2-interview-andrea-arnold

http://www.bostonreview.net/blog/albert-dzur-trench-democracy-jamie-verbrugge-8

Notes:

Research on the project is being done in partnership with the Kettering Foundation.

For a more detailed discussion of the project, see: http://www.bostonreview.net/blog/dzur-trench-democracy-1