Democracy and Governance in Public Services: The Case of Residential Care in Lithuania

Abstract

The turn o f the 21st century was marked by the rise o f formal democracy in Lithuania. Classical democracy perceived and understood mainly through elections and citizen participation in the political and policy processes has been extended to more instruments and more levels. Residents can now actively participate in decision-making at all levels: at the macro level as a part o f electorate, as well as at the micro level as users o f public services. The objective o f the article is to analyse the process towards democracy in Lithuania from the perspective o f residential care and user-involvement. The empirical part o f the article provides an analysis o f the results o f the sociological research on residential care institutions, which reveals how significant co-participation and empowerment in the organization o f social services and the provision o f them are fo r ensuring subjective well-being. Co-participation and empowerment in the provision o f services should be considered in a methodological way and perceived as some o f the most significant examples o f the manifestation o f modern genuine democracy. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]