Participatory Process in Public Organisations for Regional Development: the Case of Latvia

Abstract

In the case of Latvia, formal requirements of involvement of citizens in decision-making processes at national, regional and local are defined in different legal acts. During the preparation of planning documents, some municipalities and public institutions develop individual approaches to insure productive dialogue with stakeholders. Taking into account ongoing administrative-territorial reform in Latvia, there is a need for more inclusive models of citizens' participation in the decision-making process at the regional level. The paper aims to analyse the approaches of involvement of stakeholders in decision-making processes in the context of regional development. In order to achieve the aim, the following research methods have been used: scientific literature studies, statistical data analysis, expert survey. Main results and conclusions of the paper: the research showed that in the case of Latvia, existing approaches of public institutions could be defined rather as formal or engagement partnership towards fulfilment of requirements of legal acts. In order to proceed towards to co-responsible cooperation model, public organisations should use ICT opportunities, develop a permanent cooperation model, cultivate targeted strategic communication and include the principles of participatory budgeting in the budget planning process.