Citizens evaluating local services and facilities in Southern Italy
More specifically the survey aimed to assess
Both citizens and local authorities considered the contribution of civic associations as helpful to the management of the local activities during the experimentation. The public managers appreciated the participation of citizens not only as an opportunity of learning new way of managing public services but, moreover, as a way of developing social capital and a feeling of civic belonging.
Citizens also viewed positively the involvement of local authorities, particularly their provision of data already at their disposal, as well as their help in resolving some critical problems during the experiment.
Citizens, too, saw the need to move from the evaluation phase to the implementation of improvements. They expected feed-back once the local report had been presented to the local authority. They also recognised that the participation in this project had increased their “civic sense” and their awareness of being able to make a concrete contribution to the improvement of their urban space. They also suggested that the project had generated a general positive effect on other citizens who, even though they hadn’t directly taken part in it, had known about it. Their interest in and curiosity about the project, supported by local media, were seen as providing a good opportunity for the further development of the initiative and for helping more citizens to become “active citizens”. |
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Laura Massoli provided Governance International with this case study on 30 July 2010. It was updated on 17 February 2012. |