'Citizen governance': opportunities for inclusivity in policy and policy making?

The term 'citizen governance' (CG) is currently attracting attention in policy circles. Yet there is no universally agreed definition,and the term is used in different ways. This article identifies key tensions between citizen governors' 'representation' and 'steering' roles, and presents a framework that attempts to make these tensions more explicit. Case study evidence suggests that the effectiveness of CG structures is contextual rather than universalistic, and that different sets of assumptions are often conflated in governance. We argue that if inclusivity in policy making is a genuine goal, these assumptions need to be made more explicit and accommodated in structures that work.