Public Policy

Challenges of participatory democracy and local governance Local politics are in general dominated by traditional elites, and the take-up of these new participatory opportunities is challenging. This becomes visible when looking at the power dynamics between the different actors from civil society and in particular at the impact of social protest on local policy making. It brings to light the contention based on competing interests within these local power structures. Despite the access of social movements to channel of decision-make - such as local councils, community councils, etc. - the representation of civil society within those structures, the inherit power struggle and contention within the local councils determine significantly the way public policies are operationalised nowadays. The presence of alternative voices informs the development of policies currently, challenging the traditional way of how local elites conduct social policies in local level. By analysing broader issues regarding public administration, this session aims to provide an in-depth discussion about the relationship between civil society organisations (as actors of social mobilisation processes) and the State. We want to proposal a general debate on participatory politics in local level, that should go beyond the presentation of relevant literature on democratisation and social mobilisation but that is able to outline which theoretical approach are useful, which are not useful based in concrete examples.