Marlene Rebori

Community participation is at the heart of any community development program and is generally recognized as a critical ingredient to civic life and a healthy democracy. The research literature has overwhelmingly presented attributes of those who participate in community life (those with higher education and of higher socioeconomic status). However, little research exists on the efficacy of citizen participation and community decision making efforts.

A study was conducted in early 2004 of randomly selected registered voters and community advisory board members in northern Nevada. The study's research questions examined: a) reasons for participating in community life; b) civic skill level; and c) efficacy of participation and decision making. Efficacy was examined on two levels; internal efficacy -- individual perception of whether or not the person is efficacious, and external efficacy -- whether the political system is responsive. Internal efficacy was measured through a mail questionnaire (n=763) with a response rate of 49 percent. External efficacy was measured by tracking actual meeting minutes over three years involving more than 150 community issues.

Results of the study will be presented, including an emphasis on comparing internal efficacy (individual perception) versus external efficacy (actual responsiveness of the political system to community decision making). Finally, a discussion on community development programming that has emerged from this study will be presented and shared with audience participants.