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12 Governance: An Int'l J. Pol'y, Admin, & Institutions 1 (1999)

handle is hein.journals/gvnanlj12 and id is 1 raw text is: Civic Networks, Legitimacy and the Policy Process BARBARA WAKE CARROLL* AND TERRANCE CARROLL** In ethnically divided developing countries, avenues permitting popular participation in the policy process seem essential if the state is to be viewed as legitimate. Frequently, however, mechanisms intended to build legiti- macy by providing for popular participation fail to achieve this target. This article analyzes the policy process in Mauritius, and argues that it com- bines characteristics of both policy networks and civil society. We term this form of popular consultation on policy a civic network, and we present research which suggests that it has been successful in building legitimacy. By comparing this civic network with other forms of popular participation, we are able to identify the characteristics which seem to make it more effec- tive. The effects of popular participation on the policy capacity of a state are more mixed, but in the case of Mauritius, we conclude that by increasing legitimacy, the civic network also increased state policy capacity. Prescriptions for constituent assemblies, town hall meetings, strengthen- ing civil society and developing policy networks are increasingly promi- nent in the literature on both developing and developed countries as means of meeting increasing popular demands for a participatory role in the policy process, and of building legitimacy for the state. In some cir- cumstances, increased legitimacy will also produce improved policy capacity. What most of these prescriptions have in common is a rather weak track record at achieving their stated aims. This article argues that one of the reasons for failure is the way in which groups and individuals are selected, or are perceived to be selected, for participation in these vari- ous policy development frameworks. Because of limitations in the selec- tion process, the prescriptions usually fail tests that are important in a democratic society-participants are considered to be non-legitimate because they are not trusted or are not accountable. The concepts of policy networks and policy communities have become a popular means of analyzing similarities and differences in the policymaking process across developed countries and policy sectors over the past decade (Atkinson and Coleman 1992; Coleman, Skogstad and Atkinson 1997; Ver- dier 1995). We use some of the concepts from this literature, with particular emphasis upon the iterative nature of the interaction among the members of the group, to address the particularly serious problems often experienced by *McMaster University and **Brock University Governance: An International Journal of Policy and Administration, Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1999 (pp. 1-28).©1999 Blackwell Publishers, 350 Main St., Malden MA02148, USA, and 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF, UK. ISSN 0952-1895