Techniques in
Civic Engagement
Presented by Bill Rizzo
Local Government Specialist
UW-Extension Local Government Center
william.rizzo@ces.uwex.edu
http://lgc.uwex.edu/dg/index.html
608-265-6273
Civic engagement as we’ve known it…

Typically occurs around contentious issues
 Often conflict-laden
 May involve uncivil behavior
 A polarizing environment
Three Questions
1.
What is civic engagement?
2.
Why is it important?
3.
How is it done?
Main points

The what, why, and how of civic engagement;

Civic engagement goals;

Wicked problems;

Deliberative engagement approach/steps;

Engagement roles officials can play.
What do we mean by
‘civic engagement?’
A working definition - civic engagement refers
to processes and methods local officials can
use to communicate and collaborate with
citizens and stakeholders in developing
local policy.
Why engage with the public?

To better understand how the public sees and is
affected by community issues and challenges so that
local policies can be developed that respond effectively
to them. In other words, to develop better public
policy…to govern effectively

To more fully ‘democratize’ local governance;

To develop a community’s capacity to explore,
understand, and address challenges and opportunities.
Goals of Civic Engagement
(Source: International Association of Public Participation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
To inform the public;
To consult the public;
To involve the public;
To collaborate with the public;
To empower the public.
To Inform
(Source: International Association for Public Participation)
Goal
Promise to the
Public
To provide the public We will keep you
with balanced and
informed.
objective information
to assist them in
understanding the
problem, alternatives,
opportunities and/or
solutions
Example
Techniques
• Fact sheets
• Websites
• Open houses
To Consult
(Source: International Association for Public Participation)
Goal
Promise to the
Public
To obtain public
feedback on
analysis,
alternatives
and/or
decisions.
We will keep you
informed, listen to and
acknowledge concerns
and aspirations, and
provide feedback on
how public input
influenced the decision.
Example
Techniques
• Public
comment
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Public
meetings
To Involve
(Source: International Association for Public Participation)
Goal
To work directly
with the public
throughout the
process to ensure
that public concerns
and aspirations are
consistently
understood and
considered.
Promise to the
Public
Example
Techniques
We will work with you • Workshops
to ensure that your
• Deliberative
concerns and
polling
aspirations are directly
reflected in the
alternatives developed
and provide feedback
on how public input
influenced the
decision.
To Collaborate
(Source: International Association for Public Participation)
Goal
To partner with the
public in each
aspect of the
decision including
the development of
alternatives and the
identification of the
preferred solution.
Promise to the
Public
Example
Techniques
We will look to you for • Citizen
advice and innovation
advisory
in formulating
committees
solutions and
• Consensusincorporate your
building
advice and
• Participatory
recommendations into
decisionthe decisions to the
making
maximum extent
possible.
To Empower
(Source: International Association for Public Participation)
Goal
Promise to the
Public
To place final
We will implement
decision-making in what you decide.
the hands of the
public.
Example
Techniques
• Citizen juries
• Ballots
• Delegated
decision
‘Deliberative’ Civic Engagement






Collaborative – citizens, officials, other stakeholders;
Naming & framing issues;
Development of alternative solutions;
A way to have civil, productive discussions;
Uses specific techniques;
Good for dealing with ‘wicked problems.’
Wicked Problems






Not fully understood until a solution is developed;
Since there’s no definitive ‘The Problem’, there’s also no
definitive ‘The Solution;’
Solutions to wicked problems are not right or wrong;
Wicked problems are unique and novel;
Every solution is a ‘one-shot operation.’ You can’t learn about
the problem without trying solutions, but every solution has
costs and unintended consequences that are likely to spawn
new wicked problems.
What the problem is, and its solution, are BOTH unclear
Civic Engagement Techniques
Issue ‘Naming & Framing’
Issue Naming
What is the problem we need to talk about?
Issue Framing
What are the critical options and drawbacks
for deciding what to do about that problem?
Why Name & Frame Issues?

…makes it more likely that citizens will participate in
making decisions because the problem is stated in
terms that take into account the things they hold
deeply valuable;

…results in an “issue framework” that sets the stage
for public deliberation by making clear the options
available for addressing an issue or problem, as well
as the tensions around it;

…clarifies what is at issue, in understandable terms.
3 key questions addressed during
issue naming and framing
1.
What concerns you about this issue?
2.
Given those concerns, what would you or
others do about it?
3.
If that worked to ease your concern, what
are the downsides or trade-offs we might
then have to accept?
Types of issues to name & frame

Not technical Issues/problems …

Not educational issues/problems…

…but issues/problems that require public
decisions leading to public actions
When to name & frame an issue

When an issue or problem:





besets a community over and over again;
is systemic and is very difficult to solve;
is intractable because it involves tensions between things held
valuable by people, where every solution has a downside, and
where there is no clear right answer;
is one where there’s a lack of agreement about what the
issue/problem is…and when people try to find solutions, conflicts
arise between things held valuable by them;
even if we solved today, will be back later—not because we did a
bad job solving it, but because circumstances change (e.g.
persistent poverty, persistent crime, health care).
Dialogue







Led by a skilled facilitator (not an official);
In small groups, citizens and officials talk with one another and
share perspectives and stories about how an issue affects them,
what it means to them, and why;
Values & the tensions are part of the conversation;
Allows an issue to be described (named and framed) so that it
reflects multiple realities;
Not about winning/losing but developing shared sense of what
an issue is to many different people, across a community;
Helps dispel stereotypes and build trust;
Helps people be open to perspectives different from their own.
Public Deliberation
(Source: National Issues Forums)

Facilitated conversation used to generate and examine 3-4
policy options after an issue has been named and framed.
Three questions for each alternative are:
1.
What actions should be taken to implement this policy
alternative?
2.
What are the advantages of this policy alternative?
3.
What are the tradeoffs of this policy alternative?
Civic Engagement Roles
for Local Officials

Convener

Educator


Learner
Champion
Review

The what, why, and how of civic engagement;

Civic engagement goals. For each, the promise
made to the public & specific techniques;

Wicked problems;

Deliberative engagement approach/steps;

Engagement roles officials can play.
Techniques in
Civic Engagement
Presented by Bill Rizzo
Local Government Specialist
UW-Extension Local Government Center
william.rizzo@ces.uwex.edu
http://lgc.uwex.edu/dg/index.html
608-265-6273