Chapter 1 - Authentic Engagement
Authentic engagements partner with affected people and take their views seriously.
Authentic engagement is crucial for the public service because it ensures that government decisions reflect the needs of the people. This supports the democratic legitimacy of those decisions.
Democracies rely on public endorsement to legitimize decisions, and people need to see their concerns represented in laws and policies to trust their government. Since not everyone will agree on every issue, diverse and active engagement is essential. Involving the public in decision-making helps justify decisions to those affected by them.
Powerful groups often dominate policy debates, marginalizing less powerful groups. Without authentic engagement, these marginalized groups struggle to influence policy despite being disproportionately affected. Understanding and enabling authentic engagement ensures diverse voices are heard, enhancing democratic legitimacy and trust.
Authentic engagement in public sector decisions involves three key features:
Convergence: Bringing together different views to form recommended outcomes for decision makers.
Trust: Building trust in the decision-making process.
Consequentiality: Ensuring that participant’s recommendations are genuinely considered and lead to meaningful outcomes.
Practice Tips
Provide participants with adequate time to consider and refine recommendations so that consensus can be achieved
Provide clear advice on how the engagement outcomes will be used and what level of influence participants can expect to have
Formally respond to participants outlining how agreed recommendations will be implemented and provide justifications for those recommendations that aren’t supported.