Engaging Citizens in Jordan’s Local Government Needs Assessment Process
Jordan is undertaking ambitious decentralization reforms to place citizens at the heart of local policies and services. This review analyses the main gaps in the current needs assessment process, which aims to mainstream a participatory approach for the design of local development plans and budgetary allocations through a yearly collection and assessment of citizens’ needs. It provides actionable recommendations to strengthen the governance of this process, foster two-way communication and promote stakeholder participation at all stages of the policymaking cycle. The report accompanies the document “Supporting Open Government at the Local Level in Jordan” that aims to equip subnational public officials with the relevant knowledge and skills to mainstream transparency, integrity, accountability, and stakeholder participation into the functioning and machinery of local administrations.
The role of public communication in supporting the needs assessment process at the subnational level in Jordan
This chapter analyses the extent to which public communication at the sub-national level in Jordan can contribute to greater transparency and participation, particularly throughout the process to design local development plans and budget. It provides an overview of local communication efforts and explores a series of avenues for subnational authorities to establish a two-way dialogue with citizens around the decentralization reform, its process and outcomes. To achieve this objective, the chapter outlines recommendations to consider, including the establishment of a more strategic communications approach, encourage the implementation of the ATI right at the subnational level, promote the proactive disclosure of information on the needs assessment process and the use of audience insights to tailor messages and channels.
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