This paper proposes and explores the notion that
concepts of civic engagement and associated participatory processes are
inherently combustible when situated within democratic and governance
frameworks that cannot countenance an alteration in existing modes of representative
or executive power. To do this, the
paper explores the often incompatible rationalities of state and civil society
actors, particularly those with a focus on social justice and looks at how
competing understandings of democracy, governance and social exclusion /
inclusion produce tensions that render governance mechanisms at best cosmetic,
at worst dysfunctional. How these
tensions may be exacerbated or eased by the particular ethical perspectives
taken by different agents within the public administration system is also
examined. The conceptual and practical
dilemmas arising from these issues are illustrated by empirical evidence drawn
from a series of case studies of local governance in the Republic of Ireland,
supplemented where relevant with examples from international experience.