Participatory Local Governance in Ireland: Challenges and Issues

In the last thirty years local state-led participatory governance has become established in Ireland. Two principal forms of local participatory governance were developed: neo-corporatist or social partnership multi-actor structures to co-ordinate local service delivery (1990-2010) and a set of new multi-actor structures (2014 - ) with representative, programme delivery and strategic functions. These new structures were established to facilitate the inclusion of community and voluntary sector (CVS) organisations in the co-production of public governance at local level. In the context of a strongly centralised state and historically weak system of local government in Ireland (McInerney and Adshead, 2010), the stated aim of participatory local governance is to improve democratic accountability and community involvement in policy development (Department of Rural and Community Development, 2015). This paper is based on a mixed method research project aimed at critically evaluating the policy and practice of local state-led participatory governance in Ireland. The research addresses the need for inquiry into the operation, processes, outputs and outcomes of participatory governance (Gustafson and Hertting, 2016). The project sought the perspectives of a range of actors, including CVS members, representatives of local and central government and policy influencers. The paper critically examines the dynamics of community engagement and participation in two of the new local governance structures, Public Participation Networks (PPNs) and Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) and debates whether local participatory governance can be effective in achieving a range of goals, including effective community representation, democratic and deliberative engagement, and programmatic and strategic decision-making.