A focus on citizen participation in Costa Rica: From information and consultation to active involvement

This chapter discusses citizen participation practices that exist at different stages of the policy cycle in Costa Rica and examines the involvement of citizens in the drafting process of the National Development Plan and the country’s last two OGP Action Plans. While the chapter finds that Costa Rica’s levels of citizen participation are relatively low when compared to other Latin American countries, good practices can be found at different administrative levels and at all stages of the policy cycle. In order to systematise these existing good practices, expand their implementation to all levels of governments, and improve upon them, the chapter recommends that the government consider expanding its efforts to promote a culture of civic engagement and participation in public matters and that it consider investing in the capacities of all relevant public institutions to better implement and evaluate citizen engagement initiatives.