Focussing in on focus groups: Effective participative tools or cheap fixes for land use policy?

Scott, Alister

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2010.12.004

Cited by 54 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Some critics, for example, discuss how problems with stakeholder representation or participatory process design and implementation mean processes fail to achieve their goals. Participatory processes can also exacerbate conflict, or allow special interest groups to bias outcomes (Coglianese 1997, Cook and Kothari 2001, Gerrits and Edelenbos 2004, Scott 2011. Others emphasize the limited success of collaborative natural resource management, especially when the causes and effects of environmental problems reach beyond local boundaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the context and design of participatory decision making processes affect their outcomes? Evidence from sustainable land management in global drylands

Vente¹,

Reed²,

Stringer³

et al. 2016

E&S

245

158

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ABSTRACT. Although the design of participatory processes to manage social-ecological systems needs to be adapted to local contexts, it is unclear which elements of process design might be universal. We use empirical evidence to analyze the extent to which context and process design can enable or impede stakeholder participation and facilitate beneficial environmental and social outcomes. To explore the role of design and minor variations in local context on the outcomes of participatory processes, we interviewed participants and facilitators from 11 case studies in which different process designs were used to select sustainable land management options in Spain and Portugal. We analyzed interview data using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results showed that although some aspects of local context affected process outcomes, factors associated with process design were more significant. Processes leading to more beneficial environmental and social outcomes included the following: the legitimate representation of stakeholders; professional facilitation including structured methods for aggregating information and balancing power dynamics among participants; and provision of information and decision-making power to all participants. Although processes initiated or facilitated by government bodies led to significantly less trust, information gain, and learning, decisions in these processes were more likely to be accepted and implemented. To further test the role of context in determining the outcomes of participation, we interviewed facilitators from a process that was replicated across 13 dryland study sites around the world, reflecting much greater national variations in context. The similarity of outcomes across these sites suggested that the socio-cultural context in which the process was replicated had little impact on its outcomes, as long as certain design principles were fulfilled. Overall, our findings provide a solid empirical basis for good practice in the design of participatory processes in the management of social-ecological systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the context and design of participatory decision making processes affect their outcomes? Evidence from sustainable land management in global drylands

Vente¹,

Reed²,

Stringer³

et al. 2016

E&S

245

158

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Of particular relevance to the overall scheme in Arborea is the study of collaborative management systems, which offer a number of classifications and interpretations of specific segments of the participatory process [22]. Some scholars have classified the increasing number of collaborative management approaches in order to compare the effectiveness of each method in relation to the issues investigated [23,24]. Others have focused on identifying criteria to evaluate the effects produced by collaborative natural resource management [25,26].…”

Section: Conceptual Framework and Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The farmers, in fact, did not perceive their role in the un-sustainability of the system management, or did not feel that the issue affected their own livelihood. A participatory action research process started in 2008 [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] and involved interdisciplinary teams composed of agronomists, economists, animal scientists, meteorologists, and social scientists. This research pathway was able to consolidate a long-term trust relationship between researchers and local stakeholders [38][39][40][41][42] and revealed asymmetries between the effective cooperation among livestock farmers and the fragmentation of competences and actions among the public institutional actors in the same catchment.…”

Section: The Context Of La Rasgionimentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-Staging La Rasgioni: Lessons Learned from Transforming a Traditional Form of Conflict Resolution to Engage Stakeholders in Agricultural Water Governance

Ruiu

Maurizi

Sassu

et al. 2017

Water

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This paper presents an informal process inspired by a public practice of conflict mediation used until a few decades ago in Gallura (NE Sardinia, Italy), named La Rasgioni (The Reason). The aim is twofold: (i) to introduce an innovative method that translates the complexity of water-related conflicts into a "dialogical tool", aimed at enhancing social learning by adopting theatrical techniques; and (ii) to report the outcomes that emerged from the application of this method in Arborea, the main dairy cattle district and the only nitrate-vulnerable zone in Sardinia, to mediate contrasting positions between local entrepreneurs and representatives of the relevant institutions. We discuss our results in the light of four pillars, adopted as research lenses in the International research Project CADWAGO (Climate Change Adaptation and Water Governance), which consider the specific "social-ecological" components of the Arborea system, climate change adaptability in water governance institutions and organizations, systemic governance (relational) practices, and governance learning. The combination of the four CADWAGO pillars and La Rasgioni created an innovative dialogical space that enabled stakeholders and researchers to collectively identify barriers and opportunities for effective governance practices. Potential wider implications and applications of La Rasgioni process are also discussed in the paper.

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“…This is because while a survey holds a set of close ended questions and answers, a focus group discussion can avoid this rigidity by using semi structured questions. This means that the facilitator can navigate the discussion based in the group interest and participant's knowledge of a topic (Scott 2011). Moreover, facilitators can assess the weight of an issue depending on what people want to spend time discussing, what is relevant to them.…”

Section: Focus Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active and Public Transportation Connectivity between North Temple TOD and Jordan Park River Trail

Zambrana¹,

Oostema²

2017

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Focussing in on focus groups: Effective participative tools or cheap fixes for land use policy?

Cited by 54 publications

References 52 publications

How does the context and design of participatory decision making processes affect their outcomes? Evidence from sustainable land management in global drylands

How does the context and design of participatory decision making processes affect their outcomes? Evidence from sustainable land management in global drylands

Re-Staging La Rasgioni: Lessons Learned from Transforming a Traditional Form of Conflict Resolution to Engage Stakeholders in Agricultural Water Governance

Active and Public Transportation Connectivity between North Temple TOD and Jordan Park River Trail

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