Facilitating Self-governance: Possibilism and Pluralism in Citizen Co-creation

Abstract

"This paper explores opportunities to facilitate the development of self-governance within feasible pathways for institutional change. Self-governance happens when people have the power to make decisions, on their own or in partnership with other organizations. Possibilism emphasizes the need to search for and create feasible reforms, exploring the 'adjacent possible' space of what may be achieved. Co-creating institutions involves trying to communicate about and accommodate diverse values. Frequently used methods for supporting self-governance include community organizing by facilitators; rapid appraisal techniques; workshop processes; cost-sharing and other subsidies; information; and enabling legal authority and dispute resolution mechanisms. Supporting self-governance requires going beyond critique to explore practical pathways, engaging with the diversity of values and value systems as citizens of co-evolving communities co-create their worlds."