The dilemma of citizen participation and community development: Some empirical evidence from Cameroonian municipalities

ABSTRACT This article examines the effects of citizen participation on community development, using data from a panel of 141 Cameroonian municipalities, collected in 2021 through a questionnaire. The results of the Tobit regression model show that, the mechanisms of citizen participation have a positive and significant influence on community development. The results also show that participatory planning tools, such as the council development plan (CDP), have a positive influence on community development. After controlling for municipality characteristics and the spatial dependence effect, using Tobit fixed effects panel estimation, our results remain robust. These results imply that, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), public authorities must create the conditions for real citizen participation and public engagement at the local level. These results also contribute to the enrichment of the literature on participatory approaches in relation with stakeholder theory and community development.