The fuller participation of all elements of society in defining and achieving the common goals of development, with full respect for fundamental freedoms, is likely to be a major issue for the 21st century. The principle of broader participation has been adopted at several major conferences held under United Nations auspices in recent years. The objective is to create structures that link all elements in society in the belief that these will create better social cohesion.

Progress towards fuller participation can contribute directly to improving the situation of disadvantaged groups and society as a whole. It also has the potential of influencing economic performance, through its impact on motivation, innovation and productivity. Although this influence is essentially intangible and has mostly defied quantification, it is nonetheless real. Participation may be expected to have a generally positive impact on economic performance through increased motivation, by opening opportunities for groups whose involvement in productive activities tends to be artificially restricted and by making fuller use of underused or latent skills and talents.

Of growing importance and interest are the continuing strength and proliferation of various co-operative, self-help, and community groups and non-governmental organizations. There is also an increasingly organized articulation by various groups of their interests, reflected in their demands for a greater say in decisions affecting them. Numerous initiatives have been taken all over the world to give more people a greater voice in the running of institutions. Such initiatives seek to give workers a greater role in the management of enterprises, to give greater autonomy to public enterprises in countries with centrally planned and mixed economies, to devolve power to local authorities, and to establish new forms of partnership between government and non-governmental organizations. The process of codifying human rights has also gained momentum in a number of global agreements relating to the advancement of women and the situation of specific groups of the population, in particular, youth, the aged, migrant workers and their families, disabled persons, and those in detention or accused of crime.

Of particular significance from the economic point of view are the expansion and diversification of the co-operative and other mutual self-help movements; the experiments to improve motivation and efficiency through greater decision-making autonomy and worker participation; greater participation of clients in the design and administration of more decentralized social services; and the reorientation of welfare services towards mutual self-help, prevention, rehabilitation, and income-generating activities for welfare service recipients, the latter being of special significance in developing countries.