Where and how you sit : how civil servants view citizens’ participation

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Estija (Estonia); Latvija (Latvia); Piliečių dalyvavimas; Pokomunistinė Estija; Pokomunizmas; Viešasis administravimas; Citizens participation; Latvia; Lithuania; Post-communist Estonia; Public administration.

ENCitizen participation is disputed; some see it as enhancing democracy while others see it as undermining representative government. Some find it increases administrative efficiency, and others find it creates additional costs. Studies argue that the outcome depends on the value which civil servants place on inclusion. Echoing Miles’s law, “where you stand depends on where you sit,” we discuss how administrative structures and processes - “how you sit” - shape civil servants’ values on citizens’ participation. Using survey data from more than 1,700 civil servants in the Baltic countries, the article contributes by placing the discussion in the context of extreme social change.