Evaluating Citizen Engagement in Policy Making

By Gail Motsi
June 2, 2009

The report “Evaluating Citizen Engagement in Policy Making” by the IOG presents a comprehensive evaluation framework for assessing public participation initiatives, using the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform as a case study. The framework centers around five key factors: purpose, process, people, context, and outcome. It emphasizes that meaningful citizen engagement should be deliberate, representative, and integrated into policy cycles with clear intent and adequate resources. The Ontario Citizens’ Assembly is found to be a success in terms of its clear purpose, robust and inclusive process, and member empowerment, though its recommendation to adopt a new electoral system was ultimately rejected in a public referendum. The report highlights that better planning, public education, and representativeness may enhance future engagement outcomes and stresses the importance of integrating evaluation into citizen participation efforts from the outset.