The Gender, Culture of Peace and Citizen Participation as Evidence-Based Social Innovation for Sustainable Urban Governance

Abstract

Context. Gender inequalities in civic participation and conflict resolution persist in urban communities of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA), where between 62% and 91% of residents report insecurity or neighborhood conflicts, and fewer than half participate in democratic processes.

Problem. Despite growing interest in peacebuilding and participatory governance, the moderating role of gender in the relationship between culture of peace, citizen participation, and perceptions of neighborhood conflicts remains insufficiently explored. Therefore, it is relevant to ask how gender influences these relationships within urban communities.

Objective. To analyze how gender moderates the relationship between culture of peace, citizen participation, and neighborhood conflicts in urban communities of the GMA, as a basis for designing social innovation interventions oriented toward sustainable development.

Methodology. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in ten communities of the GMA during March–April 2024, with a sample of urban residents (n = 229). The subjects of study were the inhabitants of these communities, while the object of analysis was the relationship among culture of peace, citizen participation, gender, and perceptions of neighborhood conflicts. Validated scales were applied for culture of peace (7 items), citizen participation (9 items), and neighborhood conflicts (12 items), using five-point Likert anchors. The analysis employed exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlations, and linear regression with interaction terms to evaluate the moderating effect of gender.

Theoretical and practical findings. High reliability was confirmed across all scales (α = .832–.931). Both culture of peace and citizen participation showed positive and significant correlations with the general perception of conflicts. Gender emerged as a significant moderator of the culture of peace–conflict relationship (B = .217, p = .043), but not of the participation–conflict relationship.

Originality. The study is classified as social innovation and organizational-process innovation, in accordance with the Oslo Manual (OECD/Eurostat, 2018), as it generates empirical evidence to redesign community practices of participation, peacebuilding, and conflict management with a gender perspective in sustainable urban governance. It also contributes to SDGs 5, 11, and 16.

Conclusions and limitations. Gender moderates the relationship between culture of peace and conflict perception, but not the relationship between participation and conflict. The cross-sectional design and geographic concentration in the GMA limit generalizability; therefore, longitudinal and comparative studies are required.