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Participation as an Essential Element of an Active Civil Society
It is important to note that Bolivia is currently experiencing a particular
political process, charged with a political polarization that has divided
the country regionally and has provoked setbacks in its democratic
development. The challenges to democratic governance have grown
and the work environment for community organizations and civil
society is becoming more challenging every day.
Despite these challenges, the participatory initiatives developed in
Bolivia took place at both the national and local levels. At a national
level the work allowed for dialogue and alliances among congresswomen,
councilors and leaders from all the political parties; in other cases there
was collaborative work among youth activists from all political forces.
The interaction achieved at the local level proves particularly interesting
given that in various Bolivian municipalities, IRI gathered actors as
diverse as universities, the private sector, neighborhood associations,
schools, professional associations and representatives of governments
from the local, state and national level.
The alliance roundtables work with a number of participants that can
range between eight and fifteen people, with twelve being the ideal
number. They are organized into four sessions, or tables: the first
consists of identifying and prioritizing a community’s issues; the second
identifies the causes and effects of the issues previously identified, as
well as their possible solutions; the third creates an action plan which
seeks to tackle the issues identified; and the fourth evaluates progress
and any pending issues.
The participatory model of the alliance roundtables represents the
traits of true participation: it is completely free and voluntary, there
is no institution—neither governmental nor private—controlling the
work of the roundtable. The roundtable is organized, because it offers
an outline of disciplined meetings with a working methodology that
flows into an adequate action plan. The roundtables are efficient given
they are not simply creating talking points without concrete outcomes
but rather achieving results and benefits that seek to build a common
good. Additionally, the roundtable optimizes the potential of each of
