Post-conflict approaches to citizen participation in governance – the case of Rwanda

This chapter focuses on the post-genocide nation of Rwanda and poses the question ‘With citizen participation generally argued to be a precondition for a free and democratic society, how can this be managed through the lens of a state where such citizen participation has been a factor in mass violence and the breakdown of society?’. Through consideration of a context where direct citizen participation may have the potential to re-escalate violence, as well as designing approaches that balance top-down and bottom-up participatory mechanisms this chapter argues that it is not desirable to adopt a ‘one fits all’ approach to the implementation of citizen participation. In such situations the chapter asserts that more creative indirect modes of participation, or citizen participation focused on specific aspects of policy for citizen participation, where the voices of citizens need to be heard the most, should be prioritised.