We would do well to consider what is meant by (and can be accomplished through) participation, how participation grows out of democratic processes, how these processes depend on the structure of institutions, and how institutions originate from (and are supported by) human resources. Only then will we understand better the processes of progress and picture more accurately the necessarily diverse levels of the organizational setups on which progress depends.

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There's an allusion to democracy here, and what we locally refer to in Nigeria, as the dividends of democracy. Devoid of sound citizenship participation, such dividends are never obtained.

Thanks for your thoughful responses to highlight some of the critical aspects of this complex situation. Participation includes mainly the right of citizens to collectively decide how is to be developed their own habitat.

In fact it is the outcome of the quality of democratic processes, the institutional/organizational structure, organization, origins, public/private acts upon the light of ethic human values and principles.

Despite any dissapointment we may face when looking for the dividends of democracy, it seems better not to abandon any worthwhile effort.

Dear Luis Fernando Gallegos-Rodríguez,

Yes. In my opinion, crises such as the natural crisis, climate crisis, pandemic crisis, etc. are the source of economic, social, political crises, etc. In such difficult situations, the importance of general social awareness of various aspects of social justice, social political responsibility, democratization and liberalization of various spheres of life is growing citizens, fairer management and distribution of goods, sustainable development. In the conditions of serious crises threatening the effective development of civilization, the importance of social civic responsibility grows, social undertakings are undertaken from the bottom to increase social justice in the field of a more even distribution of goods, new social organizations co-create civil society and opportunities for socio-economic and civilization development increase in accordance with principles of sustainable development. Thanks to these processes, there is an increase in the possibilities of solving problems resulting from economic crises (e.g. causing an increase in unemployment, a decrease in income, an increase in the scale of economic stratification of the society, an increase in the income disproportion of key social strata), natural and health crises (e.g. natural disasters, plagues of infectious diseases and pests on farmlands, epidemics and pandemics, including the SARS-CoV-2 / Covid-19 / Coronavirus pandemic), climate crises (e.g. droughts, soil barrenness and desertification in farmlands, forest fires, ongoing global warming process, increasing scale weather anomalies and climatic disasters), etc. Therefore, the development of civil society favors the possibility of a real implementation of the principles of sustainable development into economic processes.

Best regards,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

Yes, but only informed & educated citizens can improve governance. In many cases, citizens are just following without any rigorous critique, analysis, and research about the issues.

Personal freedom is under threat again. What may lie ahead of us was described in November 2016, when the WEF published "8 forecasts for the world for 2030". According to the WEF scenario, from now on, the world will be completely different, because there will be profound changes in the way people work and live. The 2030 World Scenario is more than just a forecast. This is a plan that has accelerated dramatically since the pandemic was announced and the lockdowns that followed.

The WEF Global Future Council predicts that private property and privacy will be abolished over the next decade. The coming expropriation will go further than even the communist demand to abolish ownership of the means of production, but leave room for personal property. According to the WEF forecast, consumer goods will also cease to be private property.

If the WEF forecast comes true, people will have to rent and borrow from the state, which will be the sole owner of all goods. The supply of goods will be rationed in accordance with the social credit score system. Shopping in the traditional sense will disappear along with private purchases of goods. Every personal step will be electronically tracked and all production will be clean energy and sustainable.

Let's leave all the bad things in the past!

I wish you a Happy New Year 2021!

I wish you this year health, happiness, peace and love with your family, a strong vaccine and strong friendship!

Dear Luis Fernando Gallegos-Rodríguez -- I agree with Dariusz on the importance of general social awareness of various aspects of social justice, including of course social political responsibility as well as democratization. The notion of 'global citizenship' could also generate interesting discussions here. Stay well.

Dear Emiliano Bosio ,

Regarding " global citizenship " ???

The World Economic Forum (WEF) was founded fifty years ago. The main focus of the forum is global control. The highest values ​​are not free markets and individual choice, but state interventionism and collectivism. According to the forecasts and scenarios of the World Economic Forum, personal freedom and private property will disappear from this planet by 2030.

Dear Dariusz Prokopowicz, thanks a lot for your valuable insight, I agree with you. Thanks also to Emiliano Bosio, it is quite interesting the idea of moving to a global citizenship, however it also can be an excuse for a global control, as it is warned by Boris Menin. Regards for everyone!

Luis Fernando Gallegos-Rodríguez Boris Michailovich Menin Many thanks, certainly the notion of global citizenship offers discussions related to social justice, glo/cal approaches to education and global inequalities in general, and of course politics and philosophy. It might speak to curriculum as well. Stay well.

From the many insights already stated, one could ask then, what is meant by "sound citizen participation". Certainly it appears as a very complex theme with multiple interrelations. A main issue discussed, treated and applied from many years ago, specially at the local level of the latinamerican context, is the generally contradicting political view of the different local governments periods, the kind of political campaigns and "offers" to win elections, resulting in a biased attitude toward those in locations of considerable number of votes (generally growing urban sites). Rural locations and human settlements of very low population, have been marginally taken into account (as their votes have little influence in the results of election), favoring a current trend of inequality, unequal services/infrastructure provision, and other undesired effects.

What has been set as development services/priorities of a particular administrative elected local government, has not been necessarily maintained by the next elected government, on the basis of their political differences. A trend which has been reproducing for years.

Citizen participation then appeared as a key issue in the local planning processes and implementation. It has been seen as the need to build individual and collective citizen awareness of the local reality, the need (and right) to get involved in planning the future of their own habitats, to generate local citizen/organizational capacities, up-to-date data bases, planning, budgeting, principles to set priorities of investment, open information, public ethics, among others, to enable citizen access and skills for informed strategic decisions (culture of participation/planning).

Yes, that is true, thanks dear Ben Levin for the insights. The issue is far more complex than it appear. Differences between individuals and groups normally respond to a long established systematic official citizen participation, where ensuring equal access, information and capacities to everyone is not a priority.

Hullo Luis. I advise you to read up the literature on "citizens' assemblies" or "citizens' senates".

In both developing countries and the OECD democracies alike, especially since the 1970s, governments have come more and more under the regressive influence of corporations, pro-corporate media such as the Murdoch empire and anti-community partisan political forces. There is a growing movement in Australia to constitute citizens' assemblies to address complex issues and overcome this partisanship and corporate bias. Several have been held to date with largely positive results, but the technique is yet to be rolled out on a large scale. We can expect heavy opposition from incumbent governments and their influences because citizens' assemblies shift power away from governing elites.

What is meant by sound citizen participation is really outside any biased view of corporations/private/pseudo political interests which seek specific benefits. Sound citizen participation refers mostly to generate social/political capacities for self discernment of the recurrent inequalities/exclusion and biased decisions taken on our behalf to "develop" our own places of habitat and work, and those investment priorities which mostly benefit some in detriment of others. It has to do with motivating ourselves and everyone to discern and practice key human values for an equitable/sustainable coexistence in solidarity. It refers to building citizenship, to give open access to citizens to apply basic principles and tools for strategic socio territorial planning, participation skills, investment priorities, informed decisions making and sound assessed responses which truly benefits everyone avoiding exclusion, inequalities, negative impacts, wrong attitudes.

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Dear, Luis Fernando Gallegos-Rodríguez

The economic, political, social and health crisis that humanity suffers; it can be overcome more quickly and efficiently, if all social and business sectors are directed towards common and defined purposes. I fully agree with the criteria set out by Dariusz Prokopowicz , Ben Levin

I am very grateful for your excellent question, Professor Luis Fernando Gallegos-Rodríguez . The answers offered by the researchers Dariusz Prokopowicz and Debrayan Bravo Hidalgo are very correct.

Thanks for your comment, we do have obtained very appropriate answers