Abstract
Stakeholder participation is a requirement for environmental decision-making in the European Union. Despite this, numerous instances can be seen in water governance in which stakeholders feel undervalued and unheard, thereby creating unfavourable procedural outcomes, resistance and conflict. In this article, we propose that a process of early-stage deliberation constructed around the values of the stakeholders involved can reduce, and even prevent such conflicts. We suggest that if values that stakeholders perceive as relevant can be identified and discussed as part of the deliberation process then (1) stakeholder preferences can change, and (2) participants can develop a mutual understanding of each other’s values and perspectives. To explore these propositions, facilitated workshops were conducted at two Dutch water institutes, based around the topics of land subsidence and the pharmaceutical contamination of water systems. Participants deliberated on values that they considered relevant. The results suggest that mutual understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives increases as a result of value-based deliberation.
Highlights
Stakeholder participation is widely recognised as a central component of environmental decision-making
We aim to answer the following research question: To what extent can the discussion of values impact the deliberation process concerning water governance issues?
In order to test for a post-deliberation impact other than change in individual preferences, we investigate whether there is a change in participant understanding of other people’s perspectives: P2: The discussion of values during the deliberation process leads to an increased understanding of other perspectives
Summary
Stakeholder participation is widely recognised as a central component of environmental decision-making This is reflected in the Aarhus Convention and subsequent environmental legislation, with both the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/DC) and the European Floods Directive (Directive 2007/60/EC) placing strong emphasis on the role of the stakeholder in the water management process. In its most general sense, stakeholder participation refers to a process that facilitates the inclusion of those involved in, affected by, knowledgeable of, or having expertise or experience relevant to the issues at stake (Van Asselt and Rijkens-Klomp 2002). This process can range from simple information provision to independent, public-led decision-making (Mostert 2003). Stakeholder participation may fail, for instance, if stakeholders are left subjectively unheard, leading to feelings of resistance and conflict; if they are involved at too late a stage in the decisionmaking process; or if the temporal demands placed upon them are such that they are unable to commit themselves to the process (Hommes et al 2009; Reed 2008; Pahl-Wostl 2002; Andersson et al 2008)
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