Participation The french way

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ParticipationThe french way

• Michel LEGROS
• National school of public health
• National Observatory on poverty and social
  exclusion
• May 2004

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We havnt petroleumbut we have so many ideas
!(Advertising in the 70s)

• A very low level participation
• But
• Many discussions about it

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A question of political philosophy

• 18 th century the concept of representative
  democracy with elected representatives embodying
  the will of the people
• The common law, the general interest against
  private or specific interests
• In the earlier 20 th, a law allowed the creation
  of NGO association and not NGO
• The second half of the century has brought with
  the idea of an organised partnership elected
  représentatives, professionnal, trade-union and
  NGO
• A spontaneous democracy sustained by day-to-day
  practical relations between social workers, NGO

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Political references

• 1789 freedom, equality and fraternity
• Constitutions 1789-179119461958
  rights-based fundamenta texts
• gender equality
• right to job
• right to health care
• right to assistance ( if no job, for family, old
  people, disabled people)

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.against participation

• Firstly, the law
• Egality as a global project
• Community is not the answer, for us its the
  problem

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Lets participate, a curious order !

• You have no money
• You are powerless
• You are homeless
• You are jobseeker
• But you have to participate

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Everyone participates ? Poverty line
citizenship
20,8
12,4
6,1
2,3
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The two models of participation

• From the top to the grown
• From the grown

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From the top to the grown the administrative
participationSix forms
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1 -The right to be kept informed

• All the documents must be available to the public
  (no unknown files)
• Nobody can use information about you without your
  permission
• Some global advertising about the poor rights
  (call the 115, in case of problem)
• Social worker training strongly emphaze this
  issue

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2 -Participation throught representative democracy

• Except for the very poor many electives
  surveys- shows there is no important lack of
  participation of poor people in the elections at
  local or national level
• At local level the activities of municipal
  councils are often backed up by the work of extra
  municipal commitees NGO, social workers, group
  of poor suburds unhabitants

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3 - Some legislation requires that poor people be
enabled to participate prior decision making

• Since 2002, in every public or private
  organizations receiving children in social
  desease, poor, desabled,old people , a user
  council must be build up,
• This council have to be informed on the
  management of the institution

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4 -Users participation in management bodies

• Relating to housing issues or health
  organizations, its possible to have a tripartite
  management bodies in which elected members, the
  workforce and users-unhabitants- are represented

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5 -When poors become involved for the quality and
the performance of the service

• Many surveys to measure the quality and the
  effectivness of the service provided
• Nealy a commercial basis
• Use of citizen panels

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6 -Complaints procedures

• The minimum degree of poor participation
• This mecanism still plays an important role in
  the modus operandi of local government, hospital
  institutions.
• Until recently the principal means by which many
  services kept in touch with citizens ( a problem
  pour people have less complaints than other
  people)

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The participation bottom - up

• 3 main forms
• and
• some experimentations

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Local development

• Use in small poor rural areas
• business and economic approaches linked with
  social and cultural actions
• To involve different stakeholders in building up
  together a better way of life ( reducing
  unemployement,)
• Many exemples can be look at in britanny, in the
  north

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Hidden community approach

• We dont use community approach but in many
  areas- Urbain areas marked by exclusion - what to
  do ?
• Create organizations with similar people
  belonging to ethnic groups
• Give monney to help local organizations
• Pay members of these groups to protect the public
  services (elderly brothers)

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The participation as a fight

• When trades unions promote higher wages or better
  way of lifeminimum wage is probably one of the
  better tool to tackle poverty
• During the 4 last years, very offensive NGO
  appear in France rights for housing , Job
  seekers rightsthey achieved to modify the the
  law for the job-seekers benefit
• Between fighting and advocacy (build political
  and popular support to affect policies)

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A specific NGO

• The partnership with the poor is the main project
  of a NGO called ATD
• To help the poor to organize themself promoting
  library, university of poor people poor and
  not poor- share knowledge
• Recently, in Lyon,ATD was experienced new poverty
  indicators with poors

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Communal councils for social action

• Such a council in every town its aim is to
  organize and promote social action -
• the first survey in 2003 on the subject of
  participation how to emphasize participation ?
  Can we identify good practices ?

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Participation in the last Nap Incl

• Toward a survey of good practices
• The participation clause in the contracts between
  State and NGO
• More money for experimentations new forms of
  participation

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At the end..

• Some sectors attracts political discussions,
  other are the subject of general indifference
  town planing and health policies fight against
  poverty
• Consultation and formal democracy more than
  participation
• Participation is a way to share power, do we want
  to share ?
• Some exemples are interesting to look at..
• Is it possible to promote a higher level of
  participation in a non community-based society ?

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At the very end..

• Is participation a tool or the goal ?
• When we examine the new governance process
  three main principles
• Transparency
• Accountability
• participation

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When public opinion becomes hard and hard