In the recent years we have witnessed the growing criticism of the representative framework and the way it operates in many European countries. At the local level, numerous authorities try to answer the shortcomings of representation by applying new participatory agendas. This, however, not only influences the governing process, but also often leads to the clash between elected politicians and citizens. By examining the attitudes of local councilors from Finland and Poland toward citizens’ involvement, the present article contributes to the discussion on the coexistence of representative and participative schedules. The analysis draws on empirical data gathered in selected municipalities of both countries. The research findings demonstrate that, in spite of different governing models, the Finnish and Polish local representatives have quite similar, positive attitudes towards increasing the citizens’ direct involvement. However, they still consider voting in local elections the key instrument of civic engagement. The results of the research also display the barriers the expanded participative framework encounters and this can be interesting for local practitioners who design participative instruments and monitor their operation.

中文翻译：

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民间代表制？芬兰和波兰地方议员意见中的公民参与

近年来，我们见证了对代表框架及其在许多欧洲国家的运作方式的批评日益增多。在地方一级，许多当局试图通过应用新的参与性议程来弥补代表制的缺点。但是，这不仅影响执政进程，而且经常导致民选政治人物与公民之间的冲突。通过研究芬兰和波兰地方议员对公民参与的态度，本文有助于讨论代表制和参与制的共存问题。该分析利用了在两国选定城市中收集的经验数据。研究结果表明，尽管治理模式不同，芬兰和波兰的地方代表也有相似之处，对增加公民直接参与的积极态度。但是，他们仍然认为在地方选举中投票是公民参与的重要手段。研究结果还显示了参与性框架扩展遇到的障碍，这对于设计参与性工具并监控其运行的本地从业者可能很有趣。