Abstract:
This research looks at how South Sudanese citizens are involved in local economic planning and how
they feel about their participation, communication with the government, and the effectiveness of
government efforts. The survey shows mixed feelings among citizens about their involvement, with many
unhappy due to limited opportunities to engage. Most respondents (64.6%) think the government’s efforts
to involve them are not enough, and only 38.7% feel their input is valued. This reveals a clear gap
between what citizens expect and what actually happens. Additionally, a large majority (87.1%) believe
that not involving citizens enough harms local development, and almost everyone (93.5%) agrees that
better communication and cooperation between the government and citizens would improve economic
planning and development.
The study uses several methods to gather data, including reviewing existing documents, conducting
interviews, and analyzing media reports. Reviewing documents helps provide background information,
while interviews with selected South Sudanese respondents offer personal insights into their experiences
with citizen participation. Media analysis, using sources like BBC, Al Jazeera, and local radio, helps
understand how citizen involvement is discussed publicly and its impact on policy and perception.
For analyzing the data, the study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to organize and interpret
the information. The historical method helps understand past citizen contributions to economic planning,
while the analytical method categorizes and checks the data. These approaches aim to connect policy
goals with real outcomes and provide insights on how improving citizen participation can lead to better
and fairer local development in South Sudan.
