ABSTRACT
In Western Europe, new urban policies have emerged that are characterised by contracting out, public deliberation, partnerships and participation of citizens. Participation, in particular, has become an almost consensual keyword in the context of the modernisation of political life and public administration (Papadopoulos and Warin 2007). From a broader perspective the question arises if these new urban policies are marked by a change of state-civil society relations. Do they imply a new techno-political device transforming the link between civil society and the state? This chapter presents an empirical analysis in order to explore these issues by taking the examples of citizen’s involvement in policing and crime prevention in France and the United Kingdom.1
