CITIZENS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

In a subject of political culture, citizens see themselves not as participants in the political process but as subjects of the government. In a political culture, citizens believe that they can contribute to the development of the system in which they are affected. Most often than not, the leaders of government fail to adopt and implement policies that they know are necessary for sustainable economic development. Political constraints can prevent leaders from heeding to sound technical advice, even if these leaders have the best intentions.
For a sustainable development in a political environment, leaders need to work on harnessing transparency and engaging citizens. These are key functions to solving government failures; thus, its consequence being unhealthy political engagement. When leaders are sanctioned on the basis of their provision to private benefits rather than public benefits, they will be forced to sit up in rendering appropriate transparency and accountability to the citizens of the country. Building effective government institutions require change in political behaviour, not just investments in informal capacity and innovative technologies. Transparency in collaboration with political engagement provides tipping points for change in how government institutions function. This combination does not only influence institutional change regarding political leaders but also changing the informal behavioral norms in the public sector to act upon them.