Globalization, growth and development are the keystones of a new age characterized by innovations in technology, the growth of consumerism fueled by capitalism, and the formation of a global community. While growth and development are important to the cultivation of a flourishing society, there is often a lack of equality and inclusivity in such a powerful forward-moving force. Institutionalized power dynamics, corruption and corporate greed predicated on our society’s focus on materialism and wealth accumulation force marginalized groups that are disadvantaged by the nature of the system’s structure to voice their experiences through social movements in an attempt to facilitate tangible change towards a more robust and inclusive society. However, it is not only the responsibility of individuals to work towards engendering an environment of equality and inclusivity in society – it’s the cultivation of a symbiotic relationship between individuals and the institutions that govern their lives. This book explores the role and impact of citizen participation in countering the inequality and injustices within our modern day society towards a more inclusive, dynamic and robust future. The forms of citizen participation discussed range from indigenous participation in land reform laws in Guatemala to creative placemaking as a means for mobilizing community members to designate and create public spaces for themselves; it extends to an analysis of deliberative democracy as a form of empowered participatory governance in India and the role of transnational advocacy networks in the Fridays For Future environmental movement in harnessing the support of minors and young adults. The content of Global Models of Citizen Participation seeks to highlight the global significance that citizen participation can bear on issues of inequality and power asymmetry.

In the variety of global models of citizen participation we see common themes and outcomes – analyzing the commonalities and differences lend themselves to an understanding of citizen participation in a variety of contexts. The first two chapters detail citizen participation in Guatemala and India, two countries with high levels of inequality and large rural populations without access to much needed resources. During the late 1800’s, Guatemala (and all of Latin America) was experiencing a major shift in landownership. This shift consisted of ruling elites stealing land occupied by indigenous communities to sell and commodify it. The indigenous population was adversely affected, and poverty, homelessness, lack of education, as well as malnutrition devastated their communities. These conditions only worsened under the rule of Guatemala’s greedy politicians who continued neglecting the needs of indigenous Guatemalans. Juan Jose Arevalo and Jacobo Arbenz Guzman were two progressive presidents who sought to change the country’s condition through social democratic reforms. Their biggest reform, called the Agrarian Reform Law, worked towards redistributing land to accommodate the needs of Guatemala’s indigenous population through their active participation in the land redistribution process.

In contrast to the case in Guatemala, deliberative democracy in India is a concept tracing back to ancient times (6th century BC), these institutions were largely ineffective until the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments which instituted a 3 tier structure for institutional deliberative democracy. Regardless of constitutional reforms, deliberative democracy in India as a whole is still largely ineffective. However, in the case of Kerala and West Bengal, strong left-leaning political movements and social movements empowering marginalized groups catalyzed impactful change in the systems of participatory governance. This is similar to the change inspired by Presidents Arevalo and Guzman in Guatemala. Despite historical differences in political affiliation, both nations experienced reforms that led to means of developing rural communities using empowered deliberation in a hierarchical organizational framework under democratic institutions. These institutions can be distinguished by the role of citizens in participation – In Guatemala, the hierarchical organizations were government-run bodies where the highest tier functioned informatically and the lowest tier functioned in delegating power to the citizens themselves. The role of citizens in Guatemala was making land distribution demands to be processed by institutional bodies, while in India citizens, namely villagers, comprised the deliberative and higher-tier bodies, assuming processing and monitoring responsibilities through a system of election. Lastly, social movements in both Guatemala and India lent themselves to propelling involvement of marginalized groups, and re-defining the role of citizens in Overall, the studies of Guatemala and India highlight the variety of structural possibilities for deliberative democracy and citizen participation that can result in effective change.

The last two chapters analyze entirely contemporary models of citizen participation. While they differ in scope, with the Brookland Edgewood case being more community focused and the Fridays For Future case taking on a more transnational model, both movements are able to bring in large groups of people who otherwise would not have the platform or place to participate. The Brookland-Edgewood case in Washington, D.C. sheds light on themes of self and society, citizen control, and citizen empowerment with a focus on creative placemaking. Creative Placemaking is a new model of citizen participation which can be used to mobilize community members to create public spaces for themselves. Because place is a critical component to the relationship between self and society, it greatly influences the outcomes of individuals. With costs of rent and other living expenditures significantly increasing in the U.S. while wages are stagnant, gentrification is becoming a more pertinent issue every day. Creative Placemaking is a tool that is especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the need for safe public spaces becomes more important for the vitality of a city. Citizens can have the power to control their outcomes to some extent through participation in their communities.

Similarly, Fridays For Future has increased citizen participation but in the global sphere. Started in 2018, Fridays For Future has amassed incredible global support. An environmental movement calling for radical changes amongst the world’s richest countries, Fridays For Future has harnessed the power of an otherwise untapped demographic: minors and young adults. By empowering young activists, including the movement’s figurehead Greta Thunberg, Fridays For Future has garnered political and cultural support. Expanding upon existing frameworks of resistance, Thunberg was able to create an incredibly powerful transnational advocacy network. Gaining the attention of the global media, Thunberg was able to take her concerns to the United Nations in 2019 and speak as the only child present. Thunberg amplifies her identifying features into her activist persona, creating an avenue for participants who see themselves in her to feel empowered as well. This chapter analyzes the frameworks that the Fridays For Future Movement was built off of and looks to the next steps of the movement going forward.

While each chapter of this book analyzes a different movement, period of time, and place, together they weave a tapestry of citizen empowerment through action both through and against governments. The common thread of all of these chapters is their effect on each other; none of these examples of citizen participation exist in a vacuum, all of them draw on various theoretical frameworks. We will go on to explore these frameworks and their relations to each case in the following chapters.