Empowerment planning in local communities: Some experiences from combining communicative and instrumental rationality in local planning in Norway

Abstract

This article attempts to provide insight into research from several development projects in local communities in Norway. These projects have had the overall purpose of designing a model of empowerment planning which utilizes communicative and instrumental rationality in a combined top‐down and bottom‐up development approach. It has been found that, if the planning is based on Habermas’ concept of a logical political will‐making process with undisturbed discourses, strategic planning can be used to mobilize the people, tactical planning can be used to organize the local resources and the implementation can be supported by operative planning. In addition, an evaluating and learning process can nurture the mobilization, organization and implementation. Experience has shown that this alternative planning approach is needed, but a successful process is heavily dependent on strong local and regional political institutions which are under democratic control.