Government consultation with civil society organizations represents one mechanism for public participation in decision-making, as part of a broader effort toward empowering communities. The 2023 Democracy Report from Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) flagged that in 40 countries, governments are increasing their control over the existence of civil society organizations, and in 37 countries the repression of civil society organizations is increasing. This global indicator, sourced from V-Dem, tests whether policymakers consistently consult with civil society organizations that represent issues relevant to the policy at hand. It, therefore, represents a measure of the implementation of public participation – something that is very difficult to measure given the subjective nature of what makes participation effective or meaningful. Concerningly, the percentage of countries where policymakers consistently consult with civil society organizations has dropped over the past few years, from 26% in 2020 to 22% in 2022. The result is calculated based on countries where the response was “yes” rather than “sometimes” and therefore the low score doesn’t mean that the rest of countries never consulted, but rather that it is evaluated by country experts as inconsistent or insufficient.

Government consultation with civil society organizations represents one mechanism for public participation in decision-making, as part of a broader effort toward empowering communities. The 2023 Democracy Report from Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) flagged that in 40 countries, governments are increasing their control over the existence of civil society organizations, and in 37 countries the repression of civil society organizations is increasing. This global indicator, sourced from V-Dem, tests whether policymakers consistently consult with civil society organizations that represent issues relevant to the policy at hand. It, therefore, represents a measure of the implementation of public participation – something that is very difficult to measure given the subjective nature of what makes participation effective or meaningful. Concerningly, the percentage of countries where policymakers consistently consult with civil society organizations has dropped over the past few years, from 26% in 2020 to 22% in 2022. The result is calculated based on countries where the response was “yes” rather than “sometimes” and therefore the low score doesn’t mean that the rest of countries never consulted, but rather that it is evaluated by country experts as inconsistent or insufficient.