Participatory Governance before and after the Financial Crisis: Insights and Future Trends

Participatory governance is an administrative practice aimed at civic engagement and the promotion of direct democracy. The many applications of participatory governance make it a valuable practice in local government. Furthermore, participatory governance offers a possible answer to societal demands for greater civic engagement, as well as a possible solution to the generalised decline of trust in public institutions after the financial crisis. This article develops empirical research on diffusion and applications of participatory governance in Italian medium-large municipalities before the 2008-2009 financial crisis, after its outbreak, and today. Through mixed method research, the work seeks to understand the evolution of participatory initiatives in local government during a ten-year period. The results show that the financial crisis probably had an immediate negative impact on the diffusion of participatory governance, but also inspired changes in citizens’ perceptions, as well as political responses to these perceptions though participatory processes.