The role of South Sudanese citizens in Economic planning processes for local development.Case of Juba (2015-2020)

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.