Constructive Conflict, Participation, and Shared Governance

This article discusses citizen participation in the governance process in light of two theoretical approaches: hooks’s talking back as a way to empower citizens and Mary Parker Follett’s constructive conflict as a form of participation founded in political dialogue. The authors argue that constructive conflict not only allows citizens and government to jointly define and redefine the governance process in truly collaborative ways but also permits the joint construction and delivery of effective public programs. The point of contact between citizens and administrators presents an ideal opportunity where citizens are most willing, by virtue of their physical presence in the routine interaction between citizens and administrators, and most able, by knowing something about their situation and the program/policy that affects them directly, to participate.