2020

Piqueiras, Paloma; Canel, María‐José; Luoma-aho; Vilma

The literature on citizen engagement is divided into two main streams: literature on the citizen side of citizen engagement, and literature on the organizational side of engagement. Although these two sides can never be fully separated in the actual process of citizen engagement, studies have thus far focused more strongly on one or the other of them, perhaps for reasons of clarity. This chapter begins by defining citizen engagement and exploring these two streams of literature in more detail. In the context of public sector communication, citizen engagement entails a shift from one‐way communication to two‐way communication. Since coproduction and citizen involvement stem from relationships between citizens and professionals (civil servants) who make reciprocal use of each other's strengths, communication is a prerequisite if engagement is to take place: it is only through communication that the required mutual understanding can be arrived at.