Designing effective public participation

Abstract

This paper reviews the various connections that can exist between the design of participatory processes and the different kind of results that they can entail. It details how effective participatory processes can be designed, whatever are the results that participation is deemed to elicit. It shows the main trends pertaining to design choicesand considers how to classify different arrangements in order to choose from among them. Then the paper deals with the main dilemmas that tend to arise when designing participatory processes. Thanks to this review, the paper argues that participatory processes tend to display a certain degree of ambivalence that cannot be completely overcome through the design choices.

Institutional Analysis on Stakeholder Participation in China's Environmental Impact Assessment: A State–Attribution–Motivation–Interaction–Reengineering Framework

“…However, the regulative pillar is not effective in guaranteeing fair independence for local residents and enterprises; the stakeholder's status and rights are not specified. Further, regulatory updates occur slowly (Furley et al ), the provisions are prone to legitimize decisions that have already been made, and the current SP arrangement is stuck on the lower rungs of Arnstein's participation ladder (Bobbio ). Regulation with regard to SP neglects affected communities’ needs and values (Apitz et al ), citizens have no legal remedy venues, which ultimately results in constant group confrontation, accompanied by emotional and health distress for residents, huge economic loss for the enterprise, and a loss of prestige for the government—an all‐around losing prospect means that to some extent, regulative institutions represent partial failure.…”

Comparing Environmental Advisory Councils: How They Work and Why it Matters

“…In sum, two main scenarios emerge. One points to a structural difference that will not vanish easily; the issues being discussed ("hot" in nature, [29]) and the diversity of civil society actors (more diverse than in educational councils, for example) would mostly explain the differences. The most optimistic scenario would focus on the year of creation of the councils as a crucial explanation, and we would expect that, in the long run, environmental councils could evolve to become more similar to educational councils.…”

“…The creation in 1994 of the State Environmental Advisory Council in Spain was one instance clearly motivated by the desire of the public authorities to reduce the conflict and, thus, put an end to the blocking of some important environmental plans [27]. Many of the infrastructure programs with environmental consequences have been the object of polarized struggles that would fit into what Bobbio [29] called "hot" issues, often addressed through participatory arrangements in countries like France or Italy [30]. The network of political actors involved in environmental issues is also different to the one we find in more traditional socio-economic policies.…”

Participatory urban governance: Multilevel study

“…It is hardly in dispute that, over the last two decades, there has been a surge of interest in the interplay between governance, participation and democracy in cities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Participatory urban governance, conceptually rooted in the logic of pluralism [3] and the Habermasian narrative of deliberative discursive processes [14][15][16][17], emphasize inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus-seeking.…”