Embracing Participatory Democracy: An Evaluative Model to Support Modern, Open, Accountable Governance in The Bahamas

In an era characterised by ongoing, deepening, and intersecting crises that threaten the self-determination of peoples worldwide, engagement with the concepts of community-driven development and participatory governance in legal theory and legislative outcomes becomes increasingly urgent and significant. In the face of various factors that often lead to democratic dysfunction, public policy practitioners and technocratic civil service staff can foster the development of vibrant and free societies by promoting active and constructive participation of people in all facets of governance through evolutionary solutions that effectively embed democratic rights, principles, and delegations into critical policy-making processes. This research advocates for a deliberate restructuring of policy advisory systems to promote active citizenship and community-engaged learning, thereby facilitating the development of technocratic policy approaches that are rooted in and responsive to the needs of local communities. These participatory-policy advisory systems (P-PAS) aim to recognise communities and technocrats as equal subject-matter experts and knowledge holders. A composite of various interdisciplinary theories, methodologies, and knowledge practices is proposed for this P-PAS. These practices, skills and procedures are leveraged to produce an Evaluative Model comprising our Policy Advisory Process Improvement Cycle (PAPIC) and a Conceptual Framework for Societal Change Management (CF-SCM). Through this, it seeks to form a conceptual successor to national strategic objectives of The Bahamas by theorising adaptations to regional and international best practices in alignment with approved public policy directives.