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Public Participation (public + participation)
Selected AbstractsPublic Participation in Environmental Decision Making: Is It Working?NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW, Issue 2 2002Matthew McKinney [source] Public Participation in the Governance of International Freshwater Resources Edited by Carl Bruch, Libor Jansky, Mikiyasu Nakayama and Kazimierz A. SalewiczNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2006Orland L. Wilkerson No abstract is available for this article. [source] Wilderness Restoration: The Paradox of Public ParticipationRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2006William Throop Abstract Recent trends in ecological restoration complicate the job of wilderness managers. An emphasis on volunteer participation in restoration designed to foster human/nature relationships often conflicts with the mandate to leave land untrammeled. We frame this conflict as the "participation paradox." Higgs' (2003) Nature by Design contains a response to the paradox that includes a strong defense of participatory focal restoration and a related critique of wilderness. After identifying the limitations of Higgs' arguments, we address the paradox by showing how an appeal to the moral virtues of humility, self-restraint, and altruism supports a restrictive conception of wilderness and a healing metaphor for wilderness restoration. The virtue-informed healing metaphor provides an argument for restricting volunteer participation and long-term restoration projects in wilderness areas. It also identifies the general conditions in which damaged wilderness should be allowed to "heal itself." The upshot of our approach to the paradox is that some standards for good restoration should be contextualized to land use designations. In particular, the emphasis on participatory restoration is appropriate in humanized landscapes but not in wilderness. [source] Mapping Public Participation in Policy ChoicesAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2002Patrick Bishop In an era of democratic discontent, more and better participation in policy making has become a standard expectation. Yet it is rarely clear what counts as participation, and how the many practices loosely bundled under the label should be understood. This paper has a modest undergrowth-clearing objective: to examine assumptions behind competing typologies of participation, and to propose a classification framework less laden by idealist notions of democracy. [source] INTEGRATING HUMANS IN ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT USING MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 2 2003Georgios E. Pavlikakis ABSTRACT: The Ecosystem Management (EM) process belongs to the category of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problems. It requires appropriate decision support systems (DSS) where "all interested people" would be involved in the decision making process. Environmental values critical to EM, such as the biological diversity, health, productivity and sustainability, have to be studied, and play an important role in modeling the ecosystem functions; human values and preferences also influence decision making. Public participation in decision and policy making is one of the elements that differentiate EM from the traditional methods of management. Here, a methodology is presented on how to quantify human preferences in EM decision making. The case study of the National Park of River Nestos Delta and Lakes Vistonida and Ismarida in Greece, presented as an application of this methodology, shows that the direct involvement of the public, the quantification of its preferences and the decision maker's attitude provide a strong tool to the EM decision making process. Public preferences have been given certain weights and three MCDM methods, namely, the Expected Utility Method, Compromise Programming and the Analytic Hierarchy Process, have been used to select alternative management solutions that lead to the best configuration of the ecosystem and are also socially acceptable. [source] Beyond Biogeography: a Framework for Involving the Public in Planning of U.S. Marine Protected AreasCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005TRACEY MORIN DALTON control de áreas marinas protegidas; intervención de usufructuarios; manejo basado en ecosistemas; participación del público Abstract:,Planning of marine protected areas (MPAs) is highlighted in the conservation literature but is not explored in much detail. Many researchers acknowledge the importance of involving the public in MPA planning, but there is limited guidance on how to do this in an effective manner. I present a framework for involving the public in planning of U.S. MPAs. Derived from empirically and theoretically based research on public participation in U.S. natural resource management, this framework is composed of factors that influence the success of participatory processes: active participant involvement, complete information exchange, fair decision making, efficient administration, and positive participant interactions. Processes incorporating these factors will produce decisions that are more likely to be supported by stakeholders, meet management objectives, and fulfill conservation goals. This framework contributes to the MPA social science literature and responds to calls in the conservation literature to increase the use of social science research to inform conservation decision making. Resumen:,La planificación de áreas marinas protegidas (AMP) resalta en la literatura de conservación pero no es explorada en mucho detalle. Muchos investigadores reconocen la importancia de involucrar al público en la planificación de AMP, pero las directrices para hacerlo de manera efectiva es limitada. Presento un marco para involucrar al público en la planificación de AMP en E.U.A. Este marco, derivado de investigación empírica y teórica de la participación del público en el manejo de recursos naturales en E.U.A., esta compuesto por factores que influyen en el éxito de procesos participativos: intervención activa de usufructuarios; intercambio completo de información; toma de decisiones justas; administración eficiente e interacciones positivas de participantes. Los procesos que incorporan estos factores producirán decisiones que tendrán más posibilidades de ser apoyadas por los usufructuarios, de alcanzar objetivos de manejo y cumplir metas de conservación. Este marco contribuye a la literatura de ciencias sociales de AMP y responde a llamados en la literatura de conservación para incrementar el uso de investigación de ciencias sociales para proporcionar información a la toma de decisiones de conservación. [source] Environmental justice and Roma communities in Central and Eastern EuropeENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2009Krista Harper Abstract Environmental injustice and the social exclusion of Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has roots in historical patterns of ethnic exclusion and widening socioeconomic inequalities following the collapse of state socialism and the transition to multi-party parliamentary governments in 1989. In this article, we discuss some of the methodological considerations in environmental justice research, engage theoretical perspectives on environmental inequalities and social exclusion, discuss the dynamics of discrimination and environmental protection regarding the Roma in CEE, and summarize two case studies on environmental justice in Slovakia and Hungary. We argue that, when some landscapes and social groups are perceived as ,beyond the pale' of environmental regulation, public participation and civil rights, it creates local sites for externalizing environmental harms. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Trust, public participation and environmental governance in Hong KongENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2009Stephen Tsang Abstract This paper explores the role of trust in environmental governance and its role in facilitating collective action through public participation in making decisions on environmental policies in Hong Kong. Opinions from key stakeholders with regard to the environmental performance of the Hong Kong government and public participation in Hong Kong were collected. Their opinions help to explain the hypothesized ,trust deficit' in Hong Kong. A trust-based framework was used to identify the appropriate stakeholder participation strategy for environmental governance in Hong Kong. Given that the level of trust in experts, trust between stakeholders and trust in government decision-makers are all low, a deliberation strategy using professional facilitation is recommended in implementing public participation in Hong Kong to rebuild trust. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Slovak national SD strategy process: a mix of achievements and shortcomingsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2007Michal Sedla Abstract National strategies for sustainable development are gaining increasing recognition as an instrument to reconcile needs of development and environmental protection by improving policy-making procedures. The paper assesses the Slovak sustainable development strategy in the context of two key documents, the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Slovak Republic (MESR, 2001a) and the Action Plan for Sustainable Development of the Slovak Republic for 2005,2010 (OGSR, 2005). Focus is mainly placed on horizontal policy integration, but institutional arrangements and mechanisms for implementation, monitoring and review, stakeholder participation and vertical integration are also assessed. Based on the results of a series of interviews with ministerial planners and utilizing the example of the Working Group for Environmental Education, the paper identifies barriers to horizontal policy integration. The main conclusion is that improvement of mechanisms for horizontal policy integration is offset by recession in other areas, including public participation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Water Framework Directive and agricultural nitrate pollution: will great expectations in Brussels be dashed in Lower Saxony?ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2007Britta Kastens Abstract This paper discusses the opportunities and constraints regarding the effective implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the area of diffuse nitrate pollution. Owing to the subsidiarity principle and a new procedural mode of governance, the WFD only sets distinct environmental targets, leaving most decisions on how to operationalize and institutionalize the reduction of diffuse nitrate pollution to the member states. This is a particular challenge for Germany, where lower scale regions have become the main implementers of European water policy. Successful implementation of the WFD, i.e. the actual improvement of water quality, depends on a series of key contextual and contingent factors, operating at a regional scale. In a Northwest German region with intensive agriculture and severe nitrate pollution, we analyse the historical and economic context and actor network of the region as well as the influence of environmental groups on public participation, the potential of biogas technology and new financial options. Besides the specific influence of these factors on the implementation process, we explore the uncertainties and difficulties surrounding European legislation and its operationalization in Germany and on a regional scale. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Environmental indicators of transition,ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2002Nobuko Ichikawa This paper uses a range of environmental indicators in order to assess the progress being made in addressing environmental transition challenges within the EBRD's 26 countries of operation. [In 2001, FR Yugoslavia joined the EBRD's member countries. As of February 2002, the EBRD's countries of operation are 27 countries.] The assessment is based on a survey carried out in summer 2000 among environment ministries in the region, which aimed to obtain information about economic/environmental interactions, environmental quality changes and developments in policy, institutional capacities and public participation. The paper evaluates the various national responses to the region's environmental problems. This includes an examination of environmental policy developments, frameworks for establishing environmental liability and systems of environmental funds. The final section looks at the development of public environmental initiatives and non-governmental organizations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source] New Regulatory Approaches in ,Greening' EU PoliciesEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002Andrea Lenschow European environmental policy has been long characterised by traditional regulatory policy approaches. In recent years, however, the EU has begun experimenting with new forms of governance. In particular, the task of environmental policy integration (EPI) into sectoral policies has invited more flexible and participatory regulatory forms, emphasising at the same time the role of procedural guidance. This article traces the history of the EPI principle and links its effectiveness to specific governance characteristics. It argues that effective EPI is dependent on a combination of political leadership and public participation. While both terms appear in the EU's vocabulary on sustainable development and new governance, the EU is only slowly finding the appropriate forms to put them into practice. Coming from a tradition of governance by political élites, EU policy-makers are still relying too naïvely on the mobilisation capabilities of societal groups and on the power of ,good ideas'. [source] Triggers for Late Twentieth Century Reform of Australian Coastal ManagementGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000B. G. Thom This paper identifies four triggers that underpinned the late 20th century reform of coastal management in Australia. These have operated across federal, state and local levels of government. The triggers are global environmental change, sustainable development, integrated resource management, and community awareness of management issues and participation in decision making. This reform has been driven by international and national forces. A number of inquiries into coastal management in Australia culminated in the production of a national coastal policy in 1995. This has led to fundamental changes in coastal management and to the recognition of the inevitability of changes in coastal systems. Federal policies and programs are being translated into action at the state and local government levels through a variety of funding mechanisms and programs. These involve capacity building, a memorandum of understanding between all levels of government, an enhanced role for state advisory or co-ordinating bodies, and an increased role for public participation. [source] The Appreciative System of Urban ICT Policies: An Analysis of Perceptions of Urban Policy MakersGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2004GALIT COHEN-BLANKSHTAIN ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an important tool to promote a variety of public goals and policies. In the past years much attention has been given to the expected social benefits from deploying ICTs in different urban fields (transportation, education, public participation in planning, etc.) and to its potential to mitigate various current or emerging urban problems. The growing importance of ICTs in daily life, business activities, and governance prompts the need to consider ICTs more explicitly in urban policies. Alongside the expectation that the private sector will play a major role in the ICT field, the expected benefits from ICTs also encourage urban authorities to formulate proper public ICT policies. Against this background, various intriguing research questions arise. What are the urban policy-makers' expectations about ICTs? And how do they assess the future implications of ICTs for their city? A thorough analysis of these questions will provide a better understanding of the extent to which urban authorities are willing to invest in and to adopt a dedicated ICT policy. This study is focusing on the way urban decision-makers perceive the opportunities of ICT policy. After a sketch of recent development and policy issues, a conceptual model is developed to map out the driving forces of urban ICT policies in cities in Europe. Next, by highlighting the importance of understanding the decision-maker's "black box," three crucial variables are identified within this box. In the remaining part of the paper these three variables will be operationalized by using a large survey comprising more than 200 European cities. By means of statistical multivariate methods (i.e., factor and cluster analysis), the decision-makers were able to be characterized according to the way they perceive their city (the concept of "imaginable city"), their opinion about ICT, and the way they assess the relevance of ICT policies to their city. Next, a solid explanatory framework will be offered by using a log-linear logit analysis to test the relationships between these three aspects. [source] Social participation in health in Brazil and England: inclusion, representation and authorityHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2009Marian Barnes BA MA PhD Abstract Aim, This article offers a brief description and analysis of public participation in health in Brazil and England in order to highlight different motivators and tensions within an acceptance of participation as official policy. Sources/methods, The article draws on a range of research in both countries and an analysis of official documents relating to participation. It is based on collaboration between researchers deriving from broad programmes of work on public participation in which the authors are involved. Argument, There is a tension between different principles underpinning collective public involvement in health both within and between countries. Different aspirations or claims have been made about what such participation will achieve and there are trade-offs between design principles that have consequences for issues such as who takes part and thus also for what can be achieved. The democratic origins of public participation are more evident in the Brazilian situation than in England, but there are still questions about the inclusivity of the practices through which this is achieved. The English picture is both more diverse and dynamic, but formal decision-making power of participatory forums is less than in Brazil. Whilst social justice claims for participation have been made in both countries, there is as yet limited evidence that these have been realized. [source] From rhetoric to reality: including patient voices in supportive cancer care planningHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2005Sara K. Tedford Gold PhD Abstract Objective, To explore the extent and manner of patient participation in the planning of regional supportive care networks throughout the province of Ontario. We consider the disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of patient involvement in network planning and co-ordination. Context, In 1997, the Province of Ontario, Canada, established a new, regionalized cancer care system. By transferring responsibility to the regional level and to networks, the architects of the new provincial system hoped to broaden participation in decision making and to enhance the responsiveness of decisions to communities. Research approach, Through a qualitative, multiple case study approach we evaluated the processes of involving patients in network development. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and document analysis were complemented by observations of provincial meetings, regional council and network meetings. Results, The network development processes in the three case study regions reveal a significant gap between intentions to involve patients in health planning and their actual involvement. This gap can be explained by: (i) a lack of clear direction regarding networks and patient participation in these networks; (ii) the dominance of regional cancer centres in network planning activities; and, (iii) the emergence of competing provincial priorities. Discussion, These three trends expose the complexity of the notion of public participation and how it is embedded in social and political contexts. The failed attempt at involving patients in health planning efforts is the result of benign neglect of public participation intents and the social and political contexts in which public and patient participation is meant to occur. [source] A Social Representations Approach To The Communication Between Different Spheres: An Analysis Of The Impacts Of Two Discursive FormatsJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 4 2009SUSANA BATEL This paper discusses the potential of the notions of reification and consensualization as developed by the theory of social representations as analytical tools for addressing the communication between the lay and scientific spheres. Social Representations Theory started by offering an over-sharp distinction between the reified and the consensual universes of which science and common sense, respectively, were presented as paradigmatic. This paper, however, suggests that the notions of consensual and reified can be considered as describing two distinct communicative formats: reification implying the use of arguments which establish prescriptions for representations and action, and consensualization relying on arguments which recognize the heterogeneity of representation and action. We illustrate this proposal through the analysis of a case in which the expert and the lay spheres of a Lisbon neighborhood opposed each other regarding the new laws of public participation in community matters. This analysis showed how reification and consensualization can be used as discursive formats by both spheres. The implications of the use of reification and consensualization and how they may depend on several power resources and have different impacts on social change are discussed. [source] Community environmental policing: Assessing new strategies of public participation in environmental regulationJOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Dara O'Rourke This paper evaluates a new form of public participation in environmental monitoring and regulation advanced through local "bucket brigades," which allow community members to sample air emissions near industrial facilities. These brigades represent a new form of community environmental policing, in which residents participate in collecting, analyzing, and deploying environmental information, and more importantly, in an array of public policy dialogues. Use of this sampling technology has had marked effects on local residents' perceptions and participation in emergency response and citizens' right-to-know. However, when viewed through the lens of the more developed literature on community policing, the bucket brigades are currently limited in their ability to encourage "co-production" of environmental protection between citizens and the state. Means are examined to strengthen the bucket brigades and to more broadly support community participation in environmental regulation. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [source] MANAGING COMPETITION IN CITY SERVICES: THE CASE OF BARCELONAJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 5 2009GERMÀ BEL ABSTRACT:,"Clean and safe" strategies are part of urban regeneration in the entrepreneurial city. These strategies are often characterized by privatization and public,private partnerships that enhance investment and create a city space more amenable to tourists and consumers. While such approaches promote increased investment, and differentiate services by district, they raise challenges of competition, cost escalation, and public participation. Barcelona's solid waste management strategy is presented to show the importance of a strong public coordination role when using competition to promote technological innovation and improved quality in city service delivery. [source] Past and future sustainability of water policies in EuropeNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 3 2003Bernard Barraqué The article contributes to a discussion on two global issues on water: water resources management, and water supply and sanitation. Focusing on Europe, it traces the legal roots of current systems in history: as a resource, water is considered as a common property, rather than a market good; while as a public service it is usually a commodity. Public water supply and sanitation technologies and engineering have developed under three main paradigms: quantitative and civil engineering; qualitative and chemical/sanitary engineering (both on the supply side); and the most recent one, environmental engineering and integrated management (on the demand side). The cost of public drinking water is due to rise sharply in view of the two-fold financial challenge of replacing an ageing infrastructure and keeping up with ever-rising environmental and sanitary quality standards. Who will pay? Government subsidies, or water users? The author suggests that apparent successes with privatisation may have relied heavily on hidden government subsidies and/or the healthy state of previously installed water infrastructure: past government subsidies are still felt for as long as the lifetime of the infrastructure. The article stresses the importance of public participation and decentralized local management of water and sanitation services. Informing and involving users in water management decisions is seen as an integral part of the ,ethics' side of the crucial three E's (economics, environment, ethics). The article strongly argues for municipal provision of water services, and hopes that lessons learnt and solutions found in the European experience may serve water services management efforts in other regions of the world. [source] Four Perspectives on Public Participation Process in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making: Combined Results from 10 Case StudiesPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006Thomas Webler Knowing how people think about public participation processes and knowing what people want from these processes is essential to crafting a legitimate and effective process and delivering a program that is widely viewed as meaningful and successful. This article reports on research to investigate the nature of diversity among participants' perceptions of what is the most appropriate public participation process for environmental assessment and decision making in 10 different cases. Results show that there are clearly distinct perspectives on what an appropriate public participation process should be. We identified four perspectives: Science-Centered Stakeholder Consultation, Egalitarian Deliberation, Efficient Cooperation, and Informed Collaboration. The literature on public participation tends to presume that there are clear and universal criteria on how to "do" public participation correctly or that context is the critical factor. This study has revealed that even within a specific assessment or decision-making effort, there may be different perspectives about what is viewed as appropriate, which poses a challenge for both theorists and practitioners. Among the active participants in these 10 case studies, we found limited agreement and strong differences of opinions for what is a good process. Points of consensus across these cases are that good processes reach out to all stakeholders, share information openly and readily, engage people in meaningful interaction, and attempt to satisfy multiple interest positions. Differences appeared about how strongly to emphasize science and information, how much leadership and direction the process needs, what is the proper behavior of participants, how to tackle issues of power and trust, and what are the outcome-related goals of the process. These results challenge researchers and practitioners to consider the diversity of participant needs in addition to the broad context when conceptualizing or carrying out participatory processes. [source] Policy Design and the Acceptability of Environmental Risks: Nuclear Waste Disposal in Canada and the United StatesPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 1 2000Michael E. Kraft This article examines the controversial process of developing high-level nuclear waste disposal policy in Canada, with some comparison to experience in the United States. It argues that a policy design perspective can assist in understanding the difficult social and political issues associated with waste disposal and the environmental and health risks that it poses. I examine several critical questions related to such an endeavor and link them to long-term goals of building a sustainable society. Success in formulating and implementing a nuclear waste policy in Canada will depend on the nation's capacity to create requisite processes of public participation. Particularly important are those actions that can help the public understand and assess environmental risks, including related ethical and social issues, and build public trust and confidence in the siting processes and the implementing agencies. [source] Containment and counter-containment: planner/community relations in conservation planningTHE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001Roger Few Critical analyses of public involvement in conservation projects in developing countries commonly point toward imbalances of power between project agencies and communities and the persistence of top-down patterns of decision-making. Taking an actor-oriented research approach, this paper probes beneath the surface patterns to analyse the complex socio-political mechanisms at work in the negotiating arena represented by public participation in project planning. The discussion is based on a case study of community involvement in the planning of protected areas in Belize. Detailed analysis of the power relations and tactical interactions between different actors in the negotiating arenas revealed that planner/community relations in the case study were dominated by a process identified as ,containment'. Containment refers to a strategic management of public involvement by the planning agencies, and it hinged on three fundamental social actions: avoidance of conflict; exclusion of dissent; and control over knowledge and procedure. Actions by local stakeholders that served to undermine containment constitute ,counter-containment'. The paper discusses these mechanisms in depth, before developing a comparative analytical framework of containment and counter-containment to help explain disparities in planning progress between different sites. [source] Community cooperation with natural flood management: a case study in the Scottish BordersAREA, Issue 3 2009Olivia Ruth Howgate The cooperation of communities and landowners in the upper catchment is vital for the successful implementation of natural flood management (NFM) projects as few incentives are in place to reward them to host such projects. The aim of this paper is to initiate an exploration of the issues that affect a community's decision to cooperate. The results of a case study in Scotland show that willingness to cooperate is affected by concern about alternative flood management techniques, a sense of responsibility to help connected communities at risk of flooding and the expectation of beneficial impacts from the project. Indeed, these issues appeared to over-ride the hostility generated towards the project as a result of poor communication and engagement with the community from organisations associated with the proposed project. The results of the research suggest that if NFM projects are to proliferate, close attention must be paid to community attitudes towards flood management and related communities at risk, and that NFM projects must be developed and implemented according to well-established principles of public participation. [source] Re-constructing the urban landscape through community mapping: an attractive prospect for sustainability?AREA, Issue 2 2009Frances Fahy Community mapping is a relatively new tool with considerable potential in giving practical effect at the local level to sustainable development rhetoric. As a repository of socially constructed knowledge, it has considerable value in democratizing information both in terms of what is recorded and public access to it, in a manner that facilitates more meaningful participation of non-experts in planning and advocacy processes. Focusing on a community mapping project in Galway, Ireland, this research paper explores how the city's municipal authority is employing community mapping not just to record and promote the city's social, environmental, economic and cultural assets but also as a practical tool to bolster public participation in policy-making and to improve local communities' trust in the municipal authority, thereby shaping sustainability practices through enhanced governance. [source] Unravelling control freakery: redefining central-local government relationsBRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2003David Wilson Central-local relations have been of particular interest since the Labour government came to power in 1997. Both academics and practitioners have pointed to tensions within the Labour government's reform agenda,between a ,top-down' and ,bottom-up' approach; between a drive for national standards and the encouragement of local learning and innovation; and between strengthening executive leadership and enhancing public participation. It is argued that while Labour's modernisation strategy has clear elements of a top-down approach (legislation, inspectorates, white papers, etc) there is also a significant bottom-up dimension (a variety of zones, experiments and pilots, albeit with different degrees of freedom). This article utilises a multi-level governance framework of analysis and argues that, while much of the research using such frameworks has hitherto focused on the EU, recent developments in governance at neighbourhood, local authority, sub-regional and regional levels facilitate its application within a nation state. The central thesis is that, while there is extensive interaction between actors at sub-national level, this should not be seen as a proxy for policy influence. The local political arena is characterised less by multi-level governance than by multi-level dialogue. Sub-national actors participate but they are rarely major players in shaping policy outcomes: the plurality which characterises sub-central governance does not reflect a pluralist power structure. [source] Children and regeneration: setting an agenda for community participation and integrationCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 4 2003Hugh Matthews Unlike other marginalised groups children are often not in a position to enter into dialogue with adults about their community needs and environmental concerns. Despite the current emphasis on involving communities in the regeneration of their own neighbourhoods, young people are still seemingly invisible in decision-making processes. This paper looks at recent attempts to increase public participation in local decision-making, proposes a typology of community action that recognises the different ways in which children may be drawn into the process of neighbourhood renewal and offers a set of recommendations that, if taken up, provide an agenda that will strengthen the active social commitment of young people in general. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Through a Public Darkly: Reconstructing Pragmatist Perspectives in Communication TheoryCOMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 4 2008Chris Russill This article aims to retrieve the problem-responsive dimension of pragmatist theories in their relevance for the reconceptualization of public participation in communication theory. This dimension is central to pragmatist perspectives on the formation and functioning of publics and I propose that we reconstruct pragmatism as a tradition of communication theory in light of this fact. First, I reexamine the historical emergence of pragmatism in communication theory and I suggest James Carey was unable to challenge positivism or objectivism from within a pragmatist tradition. Second, I retrieve John Dewey's account of inquiry in a manner anticipating its implications for his theory of publics. Third, I resituate the Dewey,Lippmann debate within the context of a pragmatist tradition to demonstrate how deeply their differences turn on problem formulation. In conclusion, I connect the pragmatist tradition to contemporary work on problematization to address the limitations of each perspective. Résumé Dans un public, obscurément : Reconstruire les perspectives pragmatiques des théories de la communication Cet article vise à extraire des théories pragmatistes la dimension adaptée aux problèmes dans leur pertinence pour la reconceptualisation de la participation publique dans les théories de la communication. Cette dimension est centrale aux perspectives pragmatistes dans la formation et le fonctionnement des publics. Je propose que nous reconstruisions le pragmatisme comme tradition des théories communicationnelles en vue de ce fait. D'abord, je réexamine l'émergence historique du pragmatisme dans les théories de la communication et je soumets que James Carey était incapable de contester le positivisme ou l'objectivisme à partir d'une tradition pragmatiste. Ensuite, je récupère l'explication que fait John Dewey de l'interrogation d'une manière qui anticipe ses implications pour sa théorie des publics. Puis, je replace le débat Dewey-Lippman dans le contexte d'une tradition pragmatiste afin de démontrer combien profondes sont leurs différences à propos de la formulation des problèmes. En conclusion, je relie la tradition pragmatiste aux travaux contemporains sur la problématisation afin d'aborder les limites de chaque perspective. Abstract Durch ein öffentliches Dunkel: Die Rekonstruktion von pragmatischen Ansichten in der Kommunikationstheorie Dieser Artikel untersucht die problem-responsive Dimension pragmatischer Theorien hinsichtlich ihrer Relevanz für die Rekonzeptualisierung von öffentlicher Teilhabe in der Kommunikationstheorie. Diese Dimension ist zentral innerhalb pragmatischer Ansichten der Formation und des Funktionierens von Öffentlichkeiten. Im Lichte dieser Tatsache schlage ich deshalb vor, den Pragmatismus als eine Tradition der Kommunikationstheorie zu betrachten. Erstens untersuche ich die historische Entstehung von Pragmatismus in der Kommunikationstheorie und schlage vor, dass James Carey außerstande war, den Positivismus oder Objektivismus aus einer pragmatischen Tradition heraus herauszufordern. Zweitens betrachte ich John Dewey's Herangehensweise auf eine Art, die seine Implikationen für seine Theorie der Öffentlichkeiten antizipiert. Drittens, verorte ich die Dewey-Lippman Debatte neu im Kontext einer pragmatischen Tradition, um zu zeigen wie tief greifend sich ihre Unterschiede auf die Problemformulierung auswirken. Zusammenfassend, verbinde ich die pragmatische Tradition mit aktuellen Arbeiten zur Problematisierung, um die Beschränkungen jeder Perspektive aufzuzeigen. Resumen A Través de un Público Misterioso: Reconstruyendo Perspectivas Pragmáticas de la Teoría de la Comunicación Este artículo tiene por objetivo recuperar la dimensión problema-respuesta de las teorías pragmáticas en su relevancia para la reconceptualización de la participación pública en la teoría de la comunicación. Esta dimensión es central en las perspectivas pragmáticas sobre la formación y el funcionamiento de los públicos, y propongo que reconstruyamos el pragmatismo como una tradición de la teoría de la comunicación en respuesta a ese hecho. Primero, re-examino la emergencia histórica del pragmatismo en la teoría de la comunicación y sugiero que James Carey fue incapaz de desafiar el positivismo u objetivismo dentro de la tradición pragmática. Segundo, recupero la explicación de investigación de John Dewey anticipando sus implicancias en su teoría de los públicos. Tercero, restituyo el debate de Dewey,Lippmann dentro del contexto de la tradición pragmática para demonstrar cómo sus profundas diferencias se convierten en problemas de formulación. En conclusión, conecto la tradición pragmática con el trabajo contemporáneo sobre la problematización para tratar las limitaciones de cada perspectiva. ZhaiYao Yo yak [source] Theory and practice of public meetingsCOMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 1 2001Katherine A. McComas Public meetings are among the most commonly used, frequently criticized, yet least understood methods of public participation in community planning. Although systematic research on public meetings is sparse, a vast, if fragmented, amount of experiential knowledge exists, and that can form the basis for a working theory of why some public meetings work and others do not. Characteristics of successful public meetings can be generally grouped by whether they relate to the process or the outcomes of public participation. Although a relationship exists, extant research would suggest that successful processes do not always lead to successful outcomes; however, officials interviewed for this study tended to equate successful outcomes with successful processes. Officials' satisfaction with public meetings seemed to be more tied to outcomes, and most officials were only moderately satisfied with public meetings. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||