Abstract
This article considers potentials and bottlenecks, promoting and hindering factors, and roles of civic organizations (COs) in introducing participatory evaluation (PE) to civil society, assuming PE as an effective means of active citizen involvement in civil society in Japan. Major indicative findings: 1) PE can accelerate collaboration between COs and other actors, and has merit for citizens with respect to accessibility to information, empowerment, awareness-raising, etc.; 2) legitimacy is an important factor for promoting PE in civil society; and 3) COs are expected to establish systems to support citizen participation in evaluation. Key issues for future consideration: 1) establishing PE criteria and indicators depending on the nature of collaboration among actors is useful for its application; and 2) the development of a tertiary sector built upon citizens' further understanding of COs' missions and roles is incumbent to balancing the three sectors in achieving development of civil society, and to citizen participation in decision-making in governing civil society.
