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Citizen participation can improve the effectiveness of public policies, but it often occurs late in the policy development process, limiting its influence and compromising potential benefits. This study explores a participatory process initiated and designed by a local government. It involved citizens in developing a policy addressing the societal challenge of young people classified as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in a Norwegian municipality. A qualitative in-depth study was conducted, analysing 22 informant interviews and 8 internal case documents. The participatory design prioritised ‘expert citizens’ due to their perceived legitimacy, while limiting the involvement of the NEET group. This resulted in a selective process that enhanced perceived effectiveness but raised concerns regarding democratic legitimacy. The study concludes that early participatory designs may involve inherent tensions and trade-offs that must be addressed to enable more genuinely interactive forms of governance.
Vigsnes et al. (Wed,) studied this question.