Abstract:

The idea of civil society has come to the forefront in political and development speech, especially with the waves of democratization that follow each other over the past 20 years, primarily in the European Union and almost all over the world. In the normative sense, civil society is widely seen as a very important factor for strengthening a popular movement that limits the general authority government, reducing the annoying effects of social atomization and market powers, and improving the quality of political accounts and services. In this regard, civil society organizations today have a great importance in local governments. In local governments, the functions of civil society organizations in general play a role at both participating and supporting level. In the literature of development studies, a discussion about citizens’ participation in local governments and the role of NGOs is not new. However, there is a lack of literature that explains the new forms of participation between citizens and local government institutions. This includes a basic thought on how citizens’ voices are spoken and represented in the political process.

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