With the rise of internet literacy across the world, men and women on the street are increasingly participating in the news media more than ever before. Early speculations about the influence of citizen journalism imbued the practice with an almost messianic ability to save both journalism and democracy. Whilst these suggestions were influenced by a small amount of data analysis, mainly from Western countries, they were encouraging and demonstrated the potential of citizen journalism in representing the voice of ordinary people. This thesis suggests that citizen journalism is not only promoting the perspective of ordinary citizens, but is also supplementing the coverage of the mainstream media, building relationships, shaping the public sphere, and fulfilling the critical role of a watchdog. Analysing data from a sample of twenty-four different English language citizen journalism sites, this thesis examines the phenomenon of citizen journalism, focusing on the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation. Employing a mixed methods approach, quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken of the data set. The results show that citizen journalism sites in the larger and more developed SAARC countries provide more coverage of news than those in the smaller and underdeveloped countries. Political news is given the highest priority by the majority of the sites whilst news about war and terrorism is given the least. The analysis has also discovered that the sites function as a bridge, bringing people living in different parts of the world together and enabling them to engage in political discourse and the sharing of knowledge and experience. Moreover, citizen journalism is helping people to educate themselves about the culture and political systems of their new countries while also forming their own community online. This was particularly the case with the sites that were owned and operated by the diaspora people living in the West. In addition, with a few exceptions, the majority of the sites make substantial use of supplementary materials to enhance news articles, encouraging readers to participate in interactive news activities, such as posting comments. The study has also found that citizen journalists come from a wide range of backgrounds, from politicians acting as citizen journalists to students aspiring to generate revenues through commercial advertising on the Internet. However, they differ from each other in terms of their news values and news presentation — some of the sites offer more political news than others whilst others behave more like the mainstream media, providing a wide range of news articles. On the other hand, a few of the sites are less active and provide fewer news articles than others. The study has also found that citizen journalists from the SAARC countries include works of fiction as part of their news output, thus offering the slightly different definition of citizen journalism from that in the West.

Citizen satisfaction is a commonly used key performance indicator in the municipal sector and is an important part of the municipal place marketing. For the municipality it´s important to strive for citizen satisfaction as it contribute to the positive image of the municipality, at the same time it makes the municipal activities improve. As there is no uniform to measure and account for goal completion for citizen satisfaction, this is problematic from a comparison standpoint. This study clarifies to what extent and how the municipality accounts for the goals set in regard to citizen satisfaction. The study also clarifies the differences in accounting for citizen satisfaction between the years 2014 and 2016 and if there is an increased popularity in accounting for citizen satisfaction. A model has been developed to describe the different factors that contributes to citizen satisfaction, and that the municipalities should have in mind when they set their goals for citizen satisfaction as to increase the comparability and transparency of the key performance indicators of citizen satisfaction. A content analysis have been performed that show the differences in the accounting for the goals set and the goal completion between different municipalities when it comes to accounting for citizen satisfaction. Citizen satisfaction from a municipality perspective is relatively unexplored topic and more studies should be conducted. Future research should be based on interviews of the persons responsible for choosing which factors should be accounted for when it comes to citizen satisfaction.

O envelhecimento populacional é um processo universal, que não afeta apenas o indivíduo, mas também a família e a sociedade. No Brasil, o número de idosos está crescendo, o que torna necessário discutir sobre o exercício do cuidado destinado ao sujeito idoso, sobretudo o hospitalizado, bem como as perspectivas que este possui a respeito de si mesmo, dos familiares e dos profissionais cuidadores. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa qualitativa consistiu, assim, em conhecer e compreender a percepção do sujeito idoso hospitalizado a respeito de si mesmo e dos cuidadores familiares e profissionais. Foram sujeitos da pesquisa 19 idosos hospitalizados, com 60 anos ou mais, capazes de responder às questões aplicadas oralmente, a partir de um roteiro prévio, após várias observações, no período de 2007 e 2008, numa instituição hospitalar privada do RS. Tais respostas foram analisadas com base nas seguintes noções: conceitos e preconceitos relativos ao sujeito idoso; o autocuidado e o cuidado prestado por familiares e profissionais; perda de autonomia e institucionalização: a relação do idoso com o profissional cuidador; profissionais cuidadores da área da saúde; o profissional cuidador e a profissional cuidadora: a desigualdade entre os gêneros; qualidade de vida e saúde dos profissionais "cuida(dores)"; o surgimento dos hospitais; a ética, o SUS e as políticas públicas de saúde do idoso. Por meio da análise dos conteúdos, chegou-se a quatro categorias, definidas pelas respostas e não pelas questões: 1) "o idoso fala sobre si e sua doença"; 2) "a percepção do idoso com relação ao cuidador: os âmbitos familiar e profissional"; 3) "percepção do idoso em relação à instituição hospitalar"; 4) "percepção do idoso com relação aos seus direitos e deveres". A partir das respostas analisadas, concluiu-se que muitos sujeitos idosos não tinham clareza sobre a "sua" patologia; verificou-se a esperança em relação à vida e à cura de sua doença geralmente associada à religiosidade e à fé; esteve presente, ainda, a preocupação de se constituir um paciente permanente, com dependência irreversível dos medicamentos ou dos "cuida(dores)", perdendo, assim, a sua autonomia como sujeito. Em relação à instituição, embora tenha se constatado um atendimento ético e parcimonioso, nem sempre isso foi evidenciado pelos sujeitos idosos. O idoso com patologias graves referiu sentir-se mais seguro no hospital por ter ali o apoio técnico indispensável, preferindo, nessa ocasião, o cuidador profissional. Apesar da intenção explícita nas políticas públicas em considerar o idoso como sujeito em uma nova fase de vida, com necessidades e cuidados específicos, verificou-se que os direitos dos idosos ainda são desconhecidos pela sociedade e por eles próprios. A geriatria, a gerontologia e os novos conceitos delas decorrentes não alcançaram, ainda, todos os profissionais cuidadores de idosos, e menos ainda os seus familiares. Daí a urgência de um processo educativo e educador em torno do novo paradigma que busca, entre outras coisas, "pagar uma dívida" para com os idosos e resgatar o sujeito que a modernidade relegou a um lugar periférico e de invisibilidade. / The population ageing is a universal process that does not affect only the individual, but also the family and the community. In Brazil, the number of senior citizens is increasing and because of that it is necessary to discuss about the care of the elderly, especially the hospitalized one, as well as to reflect about their perspectives concerning themselves, the family and the professional caregivers. The goal of this qualitative research was to identify and to comprehend the perception of the hospitalized senior citizen concerning themselves, their family and the professional caregiver. The research subjects were 19 hospitalized senior citizens - 60 years old or more - who were able to answer the oral interviews, which were performed, based on a previous script and after several observations, in the period of 2007 and 2008, in a private hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The criteria used to subdivide the analysis in four categories were defined by the answers and not by the questions. Here they are: Talking about the senior citizens: some concepts and prejudices; The auto-care and the care rendered by family and professionals; Loss of autonomy and institutionalization: the relationship between the elder and the caregiver; Professional caregiver in the health area; From the female caregiver to the male one: the inequality between the genders; Life quality and the caregiver’s health; The hospitals beginning; Ethics and public health policies for the elderly. By the analysis of the contents, four categories were identified: first - "the elder speaks about himself and his disease"; second - "the perception of the elder regarding the caregiver: the familiar and professional scope"; third - "the perception of the elder regarding the hospital institution"; fourth - "the perception of the elder regarding their rights and duties." Based on the analysis realized, it was possible to conclude that many senior citizens did not have clearness about their pathology; the hope regarding life and the cure of the disease was almost associated to the religiosity and faith; the preoccupation of being a permanent patient, with irreversible dependence of medicines or caregivers, losing, thus, their autonomy. Considering the institution, although it was verified an ethical and parsimonious assistance, it was not always evidenced by the senior citizens. The ones with serious pathologies affirm to feel safer in hospital because of its indispensable technical support, desiring, so, the professional caregiver. Besides the explicit intention in the public policies of considering the senior citizen someone in a new phase of life, with specific needs and cares, it was not always verified, making it possible to believe that the rights of the elderly are still unknown by society and also themselves. The geriatrics and gerontology specialties and their new concepts have not reached, yet, all the senior caregivers or families. From that situation, there is the urgency of an educational process around the new paradigm that aims, among other things, to "pay a debt" to the senior citizen, rescuing the individual that modernity has relegated to a peripheral and invisible place.

O envelhecimento populacional é um processo universal, que não afeta apenas o indivíduo, mas também a família e a sociedade. No Brasil, o número de idosos está crescendo, o que torna necessário discutir sobre o exercício do cuidado destinado ao sujeito idoso, sobretudo o hospitalizado, bem como as perspectivas que este possui a respeito de si mesmo, dos familiares e dos profissionais cuidadores. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa qualitativa consistiu, assim, em conhecer e compreender a percepção do sujeito idoso hospitalizado a respeito de si mesmo e dos cuidadores familiares e profissionais. Foram sujeitos da pesquisa 19 idosos hospitalizados, com 60 anos ou mais, capazes de responder às questões aplicadas oralmente, a partir de um roteiro prévio, após várias observações, no período de 2007 e 2008, numa instituição hospitalar privada do RS. Tais respostas foram analisadas com base nas seguintes noções: conceitos e preconceitos relativos ao sujeito idoso; o autocuidado e o cuidado prestado por familiares e profissionais; perda de autonomia e institucionalização: a relação do idoso com o profissional cuidador; profissionais cuidadores da área da saúde; o profissional cuidador e a profissional cuidadora: a desigualdade entre os gêneros; qualidade de vida e saúde dos profissionais "cuida(dores)"; o surgimento dos hospitais; a ética, o SUS e as políticas públicas de saúde do idoso. Por meio da análise dos conteúdos, chegou-se a quatro categorias, definidas pelas respostas e não pelas questões: 1) "o idoso fala sobre si e sua doença"; 2) "a percepção do idoso com relação ao cuidador: os âmbitos familiar e profissional"; 3) "percepção do idoso em relação à instituição hospitalar"; 4) "percepção do idoso com relação aos seus direitos e deveres". A partir das respostas analisadas, concluiu-se que muitos sujeitos idosos não tinham clareza sobre a "sua" patologia; verificou-se a esperança em relação à vida e à cura de sua doença geralmente associada à religiosidade e à fé; esteve presente, ainda, a preocupação de se constituir um paciente permanente, com dependência irreversível dos medicamentos ou dos "cuida(dores)", perdendo, assim, a sua autonomia como sujeito. Em relação à instituição, embora tenha se constatado um atendimento ético e parcimonioso, nem sempre isso foi evidenciado pelos sujeitos idosos. O idoso com patologias graves referiu sentir-se mais seguro no hospital por ter ali o apoio técnico indispensável, preferindo, nessa ocasião, o cuidador profissional. Apesar da intenção explícita nas políticas públicas em considerar o idoso como sujeito em uma nova fase de vida, com necessidades e cuidados específicos, verificou-se que os direitos dos idosos ainda são desconhecidos pela sociedade e por eles próprios. A geriatria, a gerontologia e os novos conceitos delas decorrentes não alcançaram, ainda, todos os profissionais cuidadores de idosos, e menos ainda os seus familiares. Daí a urgência de um processo educativo e educador em torno do novo paradigma que busca, entre outras coisas, "pagar uma dívida" para com os idosos e resgatar o sujeito que a modernidade relegou a um lugar periférico e de invisibilidade. / The population ageing is a universal process that does not affect only the individual, but also the family and the community. In Brazil, the number of senior citizens is increasing and because of that it is necessary to discuss about the care of the elderly, especially the hospitalized one, as well as to reflect about their perspectives concerning themselves, the family and the professional caregivers. The goal of this qualitative research was to identify and to comprehend the perception of the hospitalized senior citizen concerning themselves, their family and the professional caregiver. The research subjects were 19 hospitalized senior citizens - 60 years old or more - who were able to answer the oral interviews, which were performed, based on a previous script and after several observations, in the period of 2007 and 2008, in a private hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The criteria used to subdivide the analysis in four categories were defined by the answers and not by the questions. Here they are: Talking about the senior citizens: some concepts and prejudices; The auto-care and the care rendered by family and professionals; Loss of autonomy and institutionalization: the relationship between the elder and the caregiver; Professional caregiver in the health area; From the female caregiver to the male one: the inequality between the genders; Life quality and the caregiver’s health; The hospitals beginning; Ethics and public health policies for the elderly. By the analysis of the contents, four categories were identified: first - "the elder speaks about himself and his disease"; second - "the perception of the elder regarding the caregiver: the familiar and professional scope"; third - "the perception of the elder regarding the hospital institution"; fourth - "the perception of the elder regarding their rights and duties." Based on the analysis realized, it was possible to conclude that many senior citizens did not have clearness about their pathology; the hope regarding life and the cure of the disease was almost associated to the religiosity and faith; the preoccupation of being a permanent patient, with irreversible dependence of medicines or caregivers, losing, thus, their autonomy. Considering the institution, although it was verified an ethical and parsimonious assistance, it was not always evidenced by the senior citizens. The ones with serious pathologies affirm to feel safer in hospital because of its indispensable technical support, desiring, so, the professional caregiver. Besides the explicit intention in the public policies of considering the senior citizen someone in a new phase of life, with specific needs and cares, it was not always verified, making it possible to believe that the rights of the elderly are still unknown by society and also themselves. The geriatrics and gerontology specialties and their new concepts have not reached, yet, all the senior caregivers or families. From that situation, there is the urgency of an educational process around the new paradigm that aims, among other things, to "pay a debt" to the senior citizen, rescuing the individual that modernity has relegated to a peripheral and invisible place.

O envelhecimento populacional é um processo universal, que não afeta apenas o indivíduo, mas também a família e a sociedade. No Brasil, o número de idosos está crescendo, o que torna necessário discutir sobre o exercício do cuidado destinado ao sujeito idoso, sobretudo o hospitalizado, bem como as perspectivas que este possui a respeito de si mesmo, dos familiares e dos profissionais cuidadores. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa qualitativa consistiu, assim, em conhecer e compreender a percepção do sujeito idoso hospitalizado a respeito de si mesmo e dos cuidadores familiares e profissionais. Foram sujeitos da pesquisa 19 idosos hospitalizados, com 60 anos ou mais, capazes de responder às questões aplicadas oralmente, a partir de um roteiro prévio, após várias observações, no período de 2007 e 2008, numa instituição hospitalar privada do RS. Tais respostas foram analisadas com base nas seguintes noções: conceitos e preconceitos relativos ao sujeito idoso; o autocuidado e o cuidado prestado por familiares e profissionais; perda de autonomia e institucionalização: a relação do idoso com o profissional cuidador; profissionais cuidadores da área da saúde; o profissional cuidador e a profissional cuidadora: a desigualdade entre os gêneros; qualidade de vida e saúde dos profissionais "cuida(dores)"; o surgimento dos hospitais; a ética, o SUS e as políticas públicas de saúde do idoso. Por meio da análise dos conteúdos, chegou-se a quatro categorias, definidas pelas respostas e não pelas questões: 1) "o idoso fala sobre si e sua doença"; 2) "a percepção do idoso com relação ao cuidador: os âmbitos familiar e profissional"; 3) "percepção do idoso em relação à instituição hospitalar"; 4) "percepção do idoso com relação aos seus direitos e deveres". A partir das respostas analisadas, concluiu-se que muitos sujeitos idosos não tinham clareza sobre a "sua" patologia; verificou-se a esperança em relação à vida e à cura de sua doença geralmente associada à religiosidade e à fé; esteve presente, ainda, a preocupação de se constituir um paciente permanente, com dependência irreversível dos medicamentos ou dos "cuida(dores)", perdendo, assim, a sua autonomia como sujeito. Em relação à instituição, embora tenha se constatado um atendimento ético e parcimonioso, nem sempre isso foi evidenciado pelos sujeitos idosos. O idoso com patologias graves referiu sentir-se mais seguro no hospital por ter ali o apoio técnico indispensável, preferindo, nessa ocasião, o cuidador profissional. Apesar da intenção explícita nas políticas públicas em considerar o idoso como sujeito em uma nova fase de vida, com necessidades e cuidados específicos, verificou-se que os direitos dos idosos ainda são desconhecidos pela sociedade e por eles próprios. A geriatria, a gerontologia e os novos conceitos delas decorrentes não alcançaram, ainda, todos os profissionais cuidadores de idosos, e menos ainda os seus familiares. Daí a urgência de um processo educativo e educador em torno do novo paradigma que busca, entre outras coisas, "pagar uma dívida" para com os idosos e resgatar o sujeito que a modernidade relegou a um lugar periférico e de invisibilidade. / The population ageing is a universal process that does not affect only the individual, but also the family and the community. In Brazil, the number of senior citizens is increasing and because of that it is necessary to discuss about the care of the elderly, especially the hospitalized one, as well as to reflect about their perspectives concerning themselves, the family and the professional caregivers. The goal of this qualitative research was to identify and to comprehend the perception of the hospitalized senior citizen concerning themselves, their family and the professional caregiver. The research subjects were 19 hospitalized senior citizens - 60 years old or more - who were able to answer the oral interviews, which were performed, based on a previous script and after several observations, in the period of 2007 and 2008, in a private hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The criteria used to subdivide the analysis in four categories were defined by the answers and not by the questions. Here they are: Talking about the senior citizens: some concepts and prejudices; The auto-care and the care rendered by family and professionals; Loss of autonomy and institutionalization: the relationship between the elder and the caregiver; Professional caregiver in the health area; From the female caregiver to the male one: the inequality between the genders; Life quality and the caregiver’s health; The hospitals beginning; Ethics and public health policies for the elderly. By the analysis of the contents, four categories were identified: first - "the elder speaks about himself and his disease"; second - "the perception of the elder regarding the caregiver: the familiar and professional scope"; third - "the perception of the elder regarding the hospital institution"; fourth - "the perception of the elder regarding their rights and duties." Based on the analysis realized, it was possible to conclude that many senior citizens did not have clearness about their pathology; the hope regarding life and the cure of the disease was almost associated to the religiosity and faith; the preoccupation of being a permanent patient, with irreversible dependence of medicines or caregivers, losing, thus, their autonomy. Considering the institution, although it was verified an ethical and parsimonious assistance, it was not always evidenced by the senior citizens. The ones with serious pathologies affirm to feel safer in hospital because of its indispensable technical support, desiring, so, the professional caregiver. Besides the explicit intention in the public policies of considering the senior citizen someone in a new phase of life, with specific needs and cares, it was not always verified, making it possible to believe that the rights of the elderly are still unknown by society and also themselves. The geriatrics and gerontology specialties and their new concepts have not reached, yet, all the senior caregivers or families. From that situation, there is the urgency of an educational process around the new paradigm that aims, among other things, to "pay a debt" to the senior citizen, rescuing the individual that modernity has relegated to a peripheral and invisible place.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / As amended in 1997, the constitution of Uganda local government act devolved power to lower units of government to enhance citizen participation and service delivery. Citizen participation was viewed in this act as an instrument through which service delivery and health promotion can be realized. This is done by involving local people in community development programmes such as health that participate on mutual and equal understanding. Citizen participation has proved to work well in some sub units of national governments with key stakeholders at the lower units of government. All this has been aimed at improving standards of living and promoting more participation in decision making for better service delivery. As highlighted above, this research explores the understanding of citizen participation on health service delivery of Ntungamo district local government. The local government act gives powers to districts to execute planning and administration of district hospitals with the aim of improving service delivery in the districts. The Local Government Act of 1997 spells out that people must holistically participate in the decision making processes of the hospital.This research report analyzes citizen participation in the provision of service delivery in Itojo hospital Ntungamo district, Uganda. The report is based on data collected from 66 participants via electronic, telephonic interviews and field study done by the researcher with help of one research assistant, and use of district score cards. The study employs qualitative research approach, within which a case study design is used. The study used primary and secondary data based on interviews and open-ended questions. The provisional findings reveal that citizen participation does not necessarily improve service delivery.

During the past few decades, decentralization efforts in México have coincided with efforts to democratize the administrative decision-making process. Adopted in 1988, the Programa Nacional de Solidaridad (National Solidarity Program; PRONASOL) required citizen participation in decisions involving the use of federal resources for regional development and poverty alleviation projects. In 1998, Section 33 of the Ley de Coordinación Fiscal (Fiscal Coordination Law; LCF) placed Social Infrastructure Funds (SIF) directly under the supervision of municipalities and retained the requirement that citizens participate in decisions involving the allocation of funds. The present study seeks to understand the factors that affect the participation of citizen committees (composed of community members; organized to address a particular cause) in SIF allocation decisions and assess the impact of this form of citizen participation on government performance. To pursue this objective, the study analyzes the implementation of LCF with respect to the role of citizen committees in SIF allocation decisions at two different locations: the township of Santa Maria Tonantzintla, located in the municipality of San Andrés Cholula, in the state of Puebla, and the rural municipality of Tenango Del Aire, located in El Estado de México (the State of México). The study finds that gender, church participation, and personal economy play major roles in the formation of citizen committees. Although the citizen committees have been instrumental in getting their SIF projects prioritized, they have had little effect on the quality or efficiency with which the projects were carried out. In general, the municipal decision-making process in both municipalities lack mechanisms to guarantee citizen participation and thus to ensure consideration of the broader public interest beyond the interest of organized groups. Because SIF can be used for various economic development projects, such as water, sewage, electrification, emergency clinics, and schools, it was of particular importance to determine whether the participatory mechanism was functioning correctly. Given the nature of the projects carried out by municipalities, flaws in the implementation process, including failures to include the broader public, could hinder not only local economic development, but also the economic growth of the nation.

There is an on-going debate in South Africa whether municipalities are an effective vehicle for deepening participatory democracy or not. Due to serious backlogs on services, the role of municipalities has largely been reduced to service delivery, to the detriment and total neglect of fundamental functions of local government. These are (Act 200, 1996):(a) To provide democratic and accountable government for local communities;(b) To ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner;(c) To promote social and economic development;(d) To promote a safe and healthy environment; and (e) To encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government. On the other hand Haveri, Stenvall & Majoinen (2011) argue that if the municipalities are a government sphere closest to the people, they are therefore best placed to, and should, lead and support the deepening of participatory democracy, what they call self-government. As the debate rages on, there are indications that most of thechallenges that face the municipalities are related to the distance that has been developing between municipal institutions and the citizens.

After 1994, the democratic South Africa passed a number of legislations in order to address the imbalances of the previous apartheid regime. The new South African government had a special mandate to provide appropriate services to all the citizens of the country. In 1995 the government formulated the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service. The aim was to transform the South African public service, which is the indication of the importance of service delivery, as the key machinery of the government to equalize service delivery to all citizens. In 1996, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa anchored the Bill of Rights as the cornerstone of democracy that enshrines the rights of all people and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. Chapter ten of the Constitution stipulates the basic values and principles governing public administration. The South African Government has developed a wide range of legislation that ensures that communities are consulted on a continuous basis with regard to how services need to be rendered. Communities have a right to be consulted and to give input into issues affecting them. Public consultation as envisaged in the South African legislation has, however, not yielded the desired results which is evident in the spate of service delivery protests over poor or non-service delivery. Section 152(1) (e) of the constitution stipulates amongst others, promotes involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government. Section 73 of the Municipal Structures Act (no.117 of 1998) also requires municipalities to establish ward committees in a manner that seeks to enhance participatory democracy at the local level. The study therefore is to check that decision-makers at the Chris Hani Municipality understand the consequences of their decisions before they act and people affected get the opportunity to participate in designing their future.

This thesis examines various approaches to public participation within rural planning. It deals with the roles rural residents, in unincorporated areas of British Columbia, can play in local planning. The thesis argues that effective planning in such areas only occurs if a rural planning approach, which considers distinctive rural characteristics, is applied to the planning process. Such planning generally requires the active involvement of rural people. To accomplish this objective a model is constructed of how rural residents participate in planning. Its theoretical framework is developed from a review of the available literature on rural planning and public participation. The model is then used to examine a specific area--Texada Island--which was selected because of its recent experiences with planning. The model identifies four main approaches to rural planning: planning 'of a rural community; planning 'for' a rural community; planning 'with' a rural community; and planning 'by' a rural community. The thesis argues that all of these approaches can meet the criteria that define rural planning, but they differ significantly on the objectives for the planning process, and the roles the local residents perform. The model also contains four categories of public participation: public information; data collection; citizenship training; and involvement in decision making. This thesis defines public participation as the means whereby the general public interact with decision makers, beyond elections, to ensure public decisions reflect their objectives. Within the context of this definition the four categories are seen as being the main avenues that rural people have for participation in planning. When the types of participation were applied to the various rural planning approaches a number of observations about the involvement of rural people in planning became apparent. These characteristics were reinforced when the Texada Islanders' experiences with planning were examined. The model and the Texada example both demonstrated that even within the constraints inherent in the various types of planning there were opportunities to enhance the level of public involvement. The author takes the position that these possible improvements are significant to the planning process since there is a positive linear correlation between increased public participation and the effectiveness of the planning process. The relationship between public involvement and planning is demonstrated through the analysis of rural planning approaches. Planning 'of' a rural, community may produce some short term results but it is incapable of providing any long term direction because the planning process is too divorced from the aspiration of the local residents who have considerable ability to frustrate external objectives even when they have little ability to take the initiative. Planning 'for' a rural community generally fails because the issues that the planning exercise is attempting to deal with are examined from the perceptions of 'outsiders'. Planning 'with' a rural community is limited because the planning process is dominated by the 'experts' who also see issues through a different set of perceptions. Planning 'by' the rural community approach is the approach that the thesis claims can succeed when the others fail. Its success is related to its correlation to rural values; its emphasis on local resources, which expands the usually limited resources available for any rural planning; and the fact that it deals with planning as part of a larger process of rural development. Rural development avoids the frequent segregation of planning and implementation and permits the planning to become an ongoing process which allows for adjustment and elaboration as required. Advocating a need for planning 'by' rural communities is not done with any naive assumptions about its success being assured. This approach can produce the most enduring results, but it also exacts the highest costs in terms of effort and its existence is dependent on a continuing commitment by the rural residents who are in control of the planning process. But this commitment is a requirement for rural development where change is achieved by the active participation of affected people. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate