In order to address the disconnection between the governing and the governed in our
democracies and bureaucracies, many practitioners and academics are looking at models
such as participatory governance to increase empowerment and foster better decision-
making. Although this model has some encouraging possibilities, there are challenges to
implementing an empowering and participatory process. To better understand these
issues, this research focused on tenant representatives’ understanding and experience of
their role in a recently implemented participatory process in the Toronto Community
Housing Corporation. Representatives reported taking on extensive responsibilities to
improve their communities and interviews with tenants suggested empowerment and
citizenship were often products of tenant participation. The research also found
limitations on empowerment and the extent to which tenants saw themselves as agents
and decision-makers in the Tenant Participation System. The paper connects how
structure and education impacts the possibilities for agency and empowerment of
participants.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/10436 |
| Date | 25 July 2008 |
| Creators | McCollum, Erica |
| Contributors | Schugurensky, Daniel |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 707516 bytes, application/pdf |
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