Catalonia: Participation and Civic Space (ES0139)

10.2.1. New law on citizen participation

Brief description

In this context, the new law faces the challenge of establishing a framework for quality participation, i.e. planned participation on issues relevant to citizens, which makes available the time, human, budgetary and technological resources necessary for its proper organisation and development and provides for measures to ensure diversity and guarantees for participants. All this through legal provisions that do not add further procedures to the already complex task of promoting quality participation instruments, especially for smaller municipalities, which tackle participation with limited resources.

Objectives

• Improve public policies through quality participation.
• Improve the democratic quality of decision-making by including a diversity of actors.
• Improve trust in institutions.

"10.2.2. Catalogue of citizen participation resources and services

Brief description

The catalogue of services has two aspects:
• On the one hand, it aims to continue generating support resources and improving existing ones. Some examples of support services are the participa.gencat.cat portal, specific or strategic advice, the hiring of companies to promote participation, training programmes, support documents and methodological guides, care, communication or digital support services for participants, and standard evaluation systems.
• On the other hand, it seeks to communicate and systematise these resources and services to improve their dissemination and to promote citizen participation as a rigorous strategy that yields results in improving policies and the quality of institutions.

Objectives

• Improve existing resources and services that support participation.
• Identify new services and resources and generate them.
• Standardise monitoring systems.
• Improve dissemination and access to these resources and services for departments promoting participation."

"10.2.3. Professional development plan for citizen participation

Brief description

In this context, work is being done with the School of Public Administration on a competency profile for citizen participation that will serve as the basis for designing a development plan for participation professionals that is more in tune with the acquisition of competencies and with more effective and sustainable formats, such as asynchronous training, learning communities or mentors, without renouncing more traditional formats whenever necessary.

Objectives

• Define a competency profile for citizen participation that allows for the improvement of selection, professional development, and evaluation systems for professionals in the field of participation.
• Strategically incorporate citizen participation competencies into the civil service.
• Design more effective and sustainable training formats in citizen participation"