Participation of NGO's organizations in the local democracy process: the case of çorum

Today, instead of representative democracy, participatory democracy, that is, the participation of the people in the decision processes, has gained importance. However, instead of the concept of management, the concept of governance, that is, the realization of the management process of the ruler and the ruled together, is accepted. Local governments constitute the first step of the participation of the people in the management processes, as they are an indispensable element of democracy and the closest units in the delivery of public services to the public. City councils, which are formed with the participation of non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders of the city, constitute an important part of local governments. City councils contribute to the process by monitoring the work of local administrators, preparing reports and sharing these reports with the public, informing the public and ensuring that the issue is discussed. In this study, it has been revealed to what extent CSOs operating in Çorum can be effective in the decision-making processes of local governments, in other words, to what extent they can participate in the local democracy process. When the study is considered in general, according to the results obtained from the survey data, the allocation of local democracy seems possible if NGOs take a more active role in the decision-making processes of local governments. The fact that local governments give importance to the opinions of NGOs in every decision they take, take their suggestions into account, and that NGOs are strong in terms of human resources and financials will contribute to the development of local democracy to a large extent. The opinion that the productivity of NGOs will increase as long as they can stay away from political influences and the pressure of the central government has prevailed. It has been understood that by increasing the awareness and activities of Çorum City Council, active participation of NGOs will be ensured, and it will be easier for NGOs to reach local administrators in solving the problems they face. In the light of these evaluations, it is possible to state that ensuring public participation, development of local democracy and solving local problems can be realized as a result of the cooperation of Çorum City Council and NGOs.