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Annex 2

Costs and benefits of public engagement

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The following tables were devised as part of research work by Diane Warburton and Involve, funded by the Civil Renewal Unit, Home Office, and completed in 2006.

Some of the benefits of participation

Goals/purpose Possible indicators How to get data Important assumptions
Governance:
Democratic legitimacy		 Has this initiative encouraged more people to vote in local elections? Voter turnout figures over several years All these impacts may be influenced by a wide range of factors, of which citizens' experience of a particular participation exercise is only one, but these indicators can give some clues.
Reputation / trust / legitimacy Has this initiative encouraged people to think the council is doing a good job?

Has this initiative encouraged people to get involved again, because they think it worth while?		 Opinion polls, focus groups, interviews, questionnaires following events, etc

As above		  
Active citizenship Has this initiative encouraged people to engage in civic life (e.g. act as school governors etc)? As above, plus feedback from schools etc  
Accountability Has this initiative given people more information so they can hold the council accountable for decisions? Interviews, questionnaires following events, etc  
Social cohesion etc:
Social cohesion		 Has this initiative helped people from different backgrounds in the area to get on better together?

Has the initiative reached a cross-sector / representative sample of the local community?		 Questionnaires following events; interviews later, etc

Collecting data on the individuals involved, through questionnaires etc.		 Although these can be broad, long term changes in relations between government and citizens, there are indicators of change that can be used to provide useful feedback.
Social capital Has this enabled people to make new contacts / join new networks beyond their usual relationships? As above  

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