The Impact Of Citizen Participation In Costa Rica

The impact of citizen participation in Costa Rica

 As constantly highlighted, Costa Rica is one of the strongest and long -lived democracies in Latin America, however, with the passing of time, citizen participation has been decreasing, mainly due to the loss of confidence of citizens in their rulers and their rulers and theirpublic policies, because they were given control of the country and the results or benefits obtained have been few or not expected.

A fundamental pillar of democracy is the active participation of citizens in decision making. Today, in a globalized and technological world, citizens are more demanding and critical in the provisions and actions of governments, since the Internet and social networks allow them to organize and show their discontent or approval with respect to some specific topic, bywhat governments must be faster and more effective in their results and meet the people’s demands. However, there must be a joint work between government and civil society, because as citizen participation is a human right, it is also a duty of the citizen to actively participate in the issues that concern the country’s course and public policies.

In this regard, the public policy expert at the University of Guadalajara, Luis Fernando Aguilar, points out that when working together and citizenship, the first “add resources (intellectual, operational, financial …) and can exercise a managerial role different from the traditional one from the traditional one than the traditional one, more tending to coordinate than to instruct.

”(Murillo, 2018). Mainly, because the prominence of the citizen is given as “Evaluator, inspection and propeller of public policy and, therefore, executor of collective solutions for common problems of society.”(Corrales, R. 2015, p. two).

That is, citizen participation would impact positively, since public policies would be promoted, organized and coordinated by the same citizenship, since it is they know what really are the problems or needs that require an immediate solution. Therefore, this refers to the fact that “the inhabitants of the cities intervene in public activities representing particular (non -individual) interest” (Ziccardi, (s/f), P.3)

However, it should be noted that citizen participation is not carried out only exercising the right to vote, it also consists in organizing and making known the needs or opinions of the various sectors of the population, since organized citizenship can actively participateand influence improve the conditions of social inequality, poverty, inclusion, public policy improvement, among others. That is, it should not be allowed that, as well as abstentionism to beat the polls, they are others who organize and decide the course of the country, leaving aside the true needs of the people.

Citizen participation allows a more democratic, inclusive and representative society of citizens, in addition, guarantees fair and transparent government processes. This can be carried out through a law initiative, a referendum, a plebiscite, a public consultation, citizen advice, among others. Therefore, it is the means by which citizens are present in the decision making of public affairs (Castro and Sibaja, 2016, p. 16).

An example of citizen participation in Costa Rica, is the choice of the head of the new canton of Río Cuarto in Alajuela, where the Supreme Court of Elections summoned its inhabitants to decide which city would take that function. (Córdoba, J. 2019). Likewise, non -governmental organizations and campaigns focused on animal protection can be mentioned, which led to the approval of the law against animal abuse. As well as, groups asking for solutions to the government for the death on the road of cyclists, for the high number of traffic accidents, violence against women, harassment in the streets, in schools and schools, the violation of human rights, theinsecurity, among others.

Lately, more organization and participation of citizens have been seen in search of solutions to reverse the effects of climate change, curb pollution, natural disasters caused by this, among others. Similarly, citizens demanding the regulation of people’s transport platforms, the strikes of heavy cargo carriers, taxi drivers, schoolboys demanding improvements in infrastructure, in the form of evaluation, among other forms of organization and citizen participation.

Therefore, active citizen participation is of the utmost importance since it strengthens democracy and, also, allows to obtain solutions or results more timely to problems that only citizens know and where the only way to make their voice and requests is throughThe active participation of civil society. If in Costa Rica, citizens organize, expose and defend their problems and needs and these are heard by the Government, the results can be extremely positive, since policies and solutions would be focused on really relevant and necessary issues for the people.