Formal Political Process Research Articles

Environmental Planning and Management: An Introduction

Initially, planning was seen as a rational process, involving the application of objective methods and data to issues of environmental policy. More recently, the dynamic nature of the planning process has been acknowledged. We argue it is better viewed as an interaction among the planner, the formal political process, and the diverse and often competing interests of various groups in the community. We discuss the implications of this view of planning for planners and psychologists. We then present a case study of water demand management that illustrates how psychologists can contribute to the planning process. Finally, an overview of this journal issue is presented that highlights the major points of each article.

Christianity and colonialism in South Africa

Christian evangelists were intimately involved in the colonial process in southern Africa. This essay distinguishes two dimensions of their historical role, each associated with a different form of power. In the domain of formal political processes, of the concrete exercise of power, the effect of the nonconformist mission to the Tswana, as elsewhere in Africa, was inherently ambiguous. However, in the domain of implicit signs and practices, of the diffuse control over everyday meaning, it instilled the authoritative imprint of Western capitalist culture. But there was a contradiction between these dimensions: while the mission introduced a new world view, it could not deliver the world to go with it. And this contradiction, in turn, gave rise to various discourses of protest and resistance. [South Africa, Tswana, colonialism, Christianity, missionaries, power, domination and resistance, historical agency and cultural discourse]

Decision Making Systems and Planned Change

AbstractThe inadequacies of the three major group decision making systems—the market, the formal political process, and existing institutions—put the burden of change on the informal public decision making process. A generalized model for planned change that works within this fourth system is developed that utilizes largely educational techniques. It can speed up change and it leads to more intelligent group decisions. Eight different strategies currently used to bring about change are analyzed in terms of the basic model. The educator-change agent is seen as a representative of an educational institution utilizing strategies with heavy educational and problem solving content.