Title: Citizen participation: a sine qua non for effective design of the national environmental policy in Ethiopia

Authors: Tiruye Alemu Tiruneh

Addresses: Ethiopian Civil Service University, Ethiopia

Abstract: This study is intended to examine the extent of citizen participation in the National Environmental Policy formulation process. Most of the previous citizen participation studies heavily relied on qualitative design. This study employed a mixed research design and gathered data through interviews and focus group discussions from public officials and policy design teams, respectively, and involved a survey questionnaire to obtain the opinion of a large group of experts working in government environmental sectors and non-governmental organisations. The findings of the study revealed that despite the goal informing, consulting, and involving citizens, the informational and deliberative tools used had been insufficient to foster a dialogue with a greater representation and inclusion of different demographic characteristics of the population. The National Environmental Policy process, in general, was closed to egalitarian forms of policy formulation process that allow descriptive and substantive opportunities wherein ordinary citizens together with public officials and experts foster rational deliberation and decision making.

Keywords: public administration; policy design; citizen participation; deliberation; representation; environmental policy; Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPP.2024.144100

International Journal of Public Policy, 2024 Vol.17 No.5/6, pp.350 - 373

Received: 14 Oct 2023
Accepted: 10 Apr 2024
Published online: 27 Jan 2025 *

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