Re-claiming the neighborhood. Exploring the limits and possibilities of citizen participation in Mexico City.

This research project explores how citizen participation can either reproduce or resist the role of the state as the central actor in public decision-making processes – this is done by comparing two participatory social programs in Mexico City: a neighborhood improvement program (PMByC) and a participatory budgeting program (PP). During the field-trip, the student will conduct participatory observation in public spaces financed through these programs and will interview around 40 beneficiaries, policy makers and representatives from civil society organizations that have been involved in the design and implementation of the PMByC and the PP. The hypothesis guiding the research is that for more democratic forms of governance to materialize, citizen participation needs to be institutionalized from below – a process that requires grassroot involvement in the design of participatory mechanisms as well as a shared responsibility of state and civil society actors in the implementation of participatory programs. The findings will serve to shed light into the limits and possibilities of conceptualizing citizen participation as a democratizing practice.

Faculty Supervisor:

Laura MacDonald

Student:

Partner:

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Carleton University

Program: