ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL SECTOR IN DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN BiH

Abstract

The BiH civil society is an indicator and significant factor in the process of democratic consolidation. Participatory democracy in all its forms of
direct participation of citizens in making political and other decisions has a particularly liberalizing impact in BiH. In local communities, cantons and
on other levels, citizens should define their common interests and needs and present and represent them in public through a civil dialog and various forms of direct democracy with government representatives. In this regard the BiH non-governmental sector has played an extremely significant role, reaffirming
the previously known forms of civil participation in BiH and introducing new practices and forms of civil participation in the policy shaping. The local
self-government offers a special opportunity for development of participatory democracy, however the forms which appear on higher and broader levels
of state structure, and those of the BiH political system in general, still have some bearing.