Citizen centricity is not an entirely novel concept; instead, it signifies a construct derived from the amalgamation of diverse concepts and mechanisms that lack explicit connections in the current body of public administration literature. We believe that citizen centricity, a concept we perceive as emerging from the integration of diverse elements like direct citizen participation (DCP), public value, active citizenship, e-participation, civil engagement, and extending to its role as a public policy indicator, proves to be more encompassing and relevant in the progressively intricate landscape of contemporary multi-actor and multi-factor public policy formulation. Thus, in this introductory chapter, we aim to delineate the parameters of our understanding of citizen centricity, outlining its inclusions and exclusions. While we meticulously examine and emphasize the pivotal elements that shape and differentiate our concept of citizen centricity, we also endeavor to elucidate the distinctions between our citizen-centric framework and organized, institutionalized civil-centered mechanisms, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We scrutinize and underscore the key points that distinguish our notion of citizen centricity, particularly in contrast to the organized participation in shaping public policies. After thoroughly investigating citizen centricity across diverse contexts, the authors outline the book’s overall structure by introducing the central theme of citizen centricity in public policy, which will serve as the book’s primary focus.