Rethinking Public Engagement

Why we need to rethink public engagement and design principles for better engagement.

The budget is the most important policy document that a local government produces. Our Rethinking Public Engagement work is designed to help local governments engage with citizens in the budget process. The standard avenue for citizen engagement is often limited to a public hearing or two, which typically happens after important decisions have been made and often amount to little more than a chance for citizens to air their grievances at a microphone. We want to change that!

Dive into New Research

Our Rethinking Public Engagement research contends that new forces have emerged that suggest local governments need to consider public engagement in a new light. In this report, we discuss rethinking the purpose of public engagement, the search for solutions, and introduce ten design principles to help.

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Designed Principles Explained

Our research includes design principles for public engagement along with examples of how those design principles might be put into practice. Taken together, these principles will allow local governments to fulfill the purposes of public engagement we discussed earlier.

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An Easy Checklist to Follow

Our new research includes a checklist to help local governments built trust and strengthen relationships with the public.

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Rethinking Public Engagement Summit

GFOA's Rethinking Public Engagement Summit was held in November of 2022. Featuring nearly 20 sessions, the summit brought together academics, researchers, civic technology experts, and local government practitioners from across the globe to finally begin to rethink public engagement.

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