Measuring ngos? Active participation in municipal decision- making in Turkiye

Abstract

This study develops a new scale for measuring the active participation relation between municipalities and NGOs. While citizen participation at the local level is a widely explored topic, a scale that aims to get NGO members' perceptions about their level of participation and focuses on the budgeting process is not available. We carried out an extensive review of the participation and budgeting literature and considered the inputs obtained from this review in developing our two-dimensional and 6-item participation scale. 'Participation mechanism' and 'participation process' were determined as two dimensions. This was a decision made based on the existence of an emphasis on the interplay between the participation mechanisms used and the participation process actualized in the relevant literature. As existing scales for examining local participation are designed to get data from public officials, we hope that obtaining data from NGOs will enrich our understanding of the complex participatory relationship between citizens and the local administration.