Determinants and impact of low citizen participation

Citizen participation in the management of local authorities generally refers to all the mechanisms for voluntary involvement and contribution of the population, through contractual frameworks, in development operations concerning them. It expresses the extent to which local authorities take into account the opinions and concerns of the population outside of electoral periods. The achievement of good local governance and especially good management of decentralized entities cannot prosper without it. However, in the commune of Bouaké in Côte d'Ivoire, this participation is very low. This weakness, caused by several factors, the most important of which are eleven in number and divided between the State, the local authorities and the populations themselves, has had a very negative impact on the decentralization policy, local development and local governance.