Participatory Development: A study of community and citizen participation in development and policymaking in Stockholm, Värmdo and Bortkyrka municipalities in Sweden

Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore and analyze the application of a participatorydevelopment approach in Stokholm, Bortkyrka, and Värmdo local municipalities in Stockholm County in Sweden. The reason for chosen municipalities in Sweden is because Sweden is relatively an advanced country with an established infrastructure and democracy to necessitate an advanced level in participatory development approach. This study examined participatory strategies and interventions within the context of development communication and how they are used to engage citizens in community-based development initiatives. I used a participatory theory to answer the following question “To what extent do local municipalities apply a participatory approach in their community development initiatives?By applying appropriate methods, a comprehensive understanding of how municipalities apply a participatory approach in development initiatives was explored and analyzed. The study findings indicate that participatory development approach is still unclear, and it is at a rudimentary stage in the municipalities studied, and that although community participation in development initiatives in the municipalities align with the concept of development communication, there is still a lack of comprehensive aapreciation of participatory development in the context of communication for development (ComDev).Therefore, the lack of clarity on how participatory approach is understood and applied plays a fundamental role in retarding the realization of the full potential of participatory development approach.