The fuller participation of all elements of
society in defining and achieving the common goals of development,
with full respect for fundamental freedoms, is likely to be a major
issue for the 21st century. The principle of broader participation
has been adopted at several major conferences held under United
Nations auspices in recent years. The objective is to create
structures that link all elements in society in the belief that
these will create better social cohesion.
Progress towards fuller participation can
contribute directly to improving the situation of disadvantaged
groups and society as a whole. It also has the potential of
influencing economic performance, through its impact on motivation,
innovation and productivity. Although this influence is essentially
intangible and has mostly defied quantification, it is nonetheless
real. Participation may be expected to have a generally positive
impact on economic performance through increased motivation, by
opening opportunities for groups whose involvement in productive
activities tends to be artificially restricted and by making fuller
use of underused or latent skills and talents.
Of growing importance and interest are the
continuing strength and proliferation of various co-operative,
self-help, and community groups and non-governmental organizations.
There is also an increasingly organized articulation by various
groups of their interests, reflected in their demands for a greater
say in decisions affecting them. Numerous initiatives have been
taken all over the world to give more people a greater voice in the
running of institutions. Such initiatives seek to give workers a
greater role in the management of enterprises, to give greater
autonomy to public enterprises in countries with centrally planned
and mixed economies, to devolve power to local authorities, and to
establish new forms of partnership between government and
non-governmental organizations. The process of codifying human
rights has also gained momentum in a number of global agreements
relating to the advancement of women and the situation of specific
groups of the population, in particular, youth, the aged, migrant
workers and their families, disabled persons, and those in
detention or accused of crime.
Of particular significance from the economic
point of view are the expansion and diversification of the
co-operative and other mutual self-help movements; the experiments
to improve motivation and efficiency through greater
decision-making autonomy and worker participation; greater
participation of clients in the design and administration of more
decentralized social services; and the reorientation of welfare
services towards mutual self-help, prevention, rehabilitation, and
income-generating activities for welfare service recipients, the
latter being of special significance in developing countries.