| This dissertation examines the ways Community Action Agencies can afford formal opportunities for low-income persons to be involved in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting policies and programs. The examination includes a literature review on origin of participatory democracy and citizen participation (CP), a focus on how CP was institutionalized in democratic and administrative processes, and an examination of CP within the context of organization theory. An extensive literature review and case survey analysis explore three research questions: (1) What are the approaches to CP? (2) What are the factors affecting implementation of CP? and (3) What are the outcomes of CP?The first research question focuses on the mechanisms for attaining input along with the initiator and catalyst of CP efforts. The second question examines the strategies for implementing CP, methods and processes for outreach and communication, level of participation, funding for CP and responsibility for implementation of CP. The final question explores the structural changes that occur as a result of CP, e.g., changes in citizen influence, community leadership and service delivery, and the extent to which public policy and decision-making resulting from CP benefit the citizens. In the main, the case survey analysis confirms the theoretical findings of the literature review and provides a framework for a CP model for public organizations in general and Community Action Agencies in particular.The final section of the dissertation provides a detailed description and discussion of the CP model for Total Community Action, Inc. (TCA), the local community action agency in New Orleans, and demonstrates how the dominant themes of the literature review and case analysis, coupled with information on the environment of TCA and its customers, are factored in the design of the model. Additionally, the final section includes a discussion of the questions and challenges of the model and concludes with an overview of the theoretical and practical foundation of the model that supports effective implementation and continuous improvement of the proposed model over time. |
