Smart Governance Exper Public Participation and Dialogue Are Essential to Strengthening Social Trust - حکمرانی هوشمند

The head of the Smart Governance Think Tank has stressed the importance of adopting participatory mechanisms to address social challenges, saying that establishing two-way communication between citizens and government institutions, listening to public concerns and involving people in decision-making are among the most important ways to strengthen social capital and increase public satisfaction. Seyed Taha Hossein Madani, speaking to the Smart Governance News Agency, referred to the experiences of different countries in dealing with public protests and said that dissatisfaction and protests over economic and social conditions, as well as government policies, are not unique to any single country. Such movements have repeatedly emerged in societies around the world. In many cases, economic decisions, austerity measures and government reform programmes have triggered protests among different groups of people.

To illustrate this point, he cited several examples of protests in different countries. These included the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States, farmers’ and students’ protests in the United Kingdom, opposition to economic reforms in Germany, public demonstrations in Spain over unemployment and austerity policies, truck drivers’ strikes in Italy, and student protest movements in Canada. According to Madani, these examples demonstrate that opposition to public policies is an inherent part of governance in countries around the world.

Madani said that how governments respond to such demands is particularly important. Rather than ignoring protests, governments should establish appropriate channels through which the voices of protesting groups can be heard. Effective communication between governments and citizens can prevent people from feeling neglected and stop public grievances from accumulating. …