Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation

Front

Therapy

Back

Power holders "educate" citizens, often without real influence.

Front

Degrees of Tokenism

Back

Includes placation, consultation, and informing, where citizen influence is limited.

Front

Investment

Back

People may not act because of investments they have already made.

Front

Help others to make right choices.

Back

Guiding others in decision-making can lead to better outcomes.

Front

Communication and technology impact

Back

Communication and technology are making the world smaller by allowing lessons learned in one place to be quickly shared and applied elsewhere.

Front

School attendance for children

Back

75% of children do not go to school.

Front

Infinite development cannot occur in a finite world.

Back

The concept that unlimited growth is impossible due to limited resources.

Front

Satisfying social relations.

Back

Important for personal happiness and community well-being.

Front

Education.

Back

A process of facilitating learning and acquiring knowledge.