Participation In Governance Processes Research Articles

Who engages whom?—Deficit communication in participatory science governance as democratic deficit

Abstract This article builds on the evolving relationship between science and society, focusing on the increasing emphasis on public participation in science decision-making processes. Public participation in science is often regarded as an embodiment of democratic principles that grant citizens the opportunity to engage with and influence scientific and technological developments. However, deficit models of science communication in participatory governance may be turning into democratic deficits. This article critically examines the deficit model of science communication, highlighting its potential democratic deficit. Drawing on empirical evidence from two case studies in a rural, socio-economically underdeveloped region in Portugal, the authors analyse the dynamics between agency and structure in hierarchical decision-making structures and power relations. We recommend policy implications to enhance the democratic quality of participatory science governance processes, based on convergence of initiatives, transparency, and new prospects for science communication.

NGOs and Global Business Regulation of Transnational Alcohol and Ultra-Processed Food Industries

Abstract The intensification of efforts by state and nonstate actors to address issues affecting global health has produced a patchwork of transnational regulatory governance. Within this field, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are expected to perform authoritative roles in holding business actors to account and enhance the democratic legitimacy of institutions via their participation in governance processes. While there exists a large body of conceptual and empirical research on global business regulation and private authority, we surprisingly know little about the governance functions of NGOs engaged in influencing the practices of corporations that produce health-harming commodities. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced in the issue area of noncommunicable diseases. This article begins to address this gap by mapping the networks of NGOs that engage in regulatory activities (rule-setting, monitoring, and enforcement) related to the (ultra)processed food and alcohol industries. We identify the networks of NGOs involved in global policy making across health, regulatory standards, and multistakeholder initiatives using nonstate actor submissions to consultations held by World Health Organization, UN Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), and the UN Global Compact. This paper examines NGO governance functions and their patterns of engagement and participation across institutional spheres. Overall, the article makes a twofold contribution to existing debates. First, we identify the governance functions through which NGOs attempt to hold corporations to account, contrasting their “watchdog” function with other governance functions. Second, we examine the representation of NGOs, highlighting asymmetries in participation of NGOs in the Global North and South.

Civil Society Participation in Global Food Security Governance: Deconstructing the Discourse of Evidence-based Policy Making

Food security has been described as a very tough problem, suggesting that there is no single or simple solution to the problem of food insecurity. Meanwhile, there is a growing body of academic literature on food security that proposes solutions. Global governance is marked by a participatory turn, meaning that there are increasing numbers of global governance processes working to develop processes and mechanisms to enhance the participation of non-state actors in governance and policy making processes. Given this trend, it is not surprising that participation in governance processes has become an interesting site of investigation for research. The result has been the development of a growing body of literature analysing diverse aspects of increased participation, which calls for evidence-based policy making are increasing evidence in global food security policy processes, and beyond. For example, the follow up and review process for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to be “rigorous and based on evidence, informed by country-led evaluations and data which is high-quality, accessible, timely, reliable and disaggregated” (UN General Assembly, 2015, paragraph. 74). Evidence-based policy has become pervasive as a universal recipe for transparency, accountability, and good governance. However, its declamatory pervasiveness within public policy buries conglomerate discourses, signification, and practices around what counts as evidence, how and by whom it is utilised, and what impact it has on scholars, researchers, and policy officers. This research furnishes an overview of comprehensive reviews of literature and analyzes special issues of global food security, and policy frameworks. The conquest of evidence-based policy as a discourse, highlighting its close relationship with food security policies, the political, cultural context of its initial emergence in the global world, and its discourses. Evidence-based policy is customarily articulated as a means of speaking truth to power, separating facts from their human contexts. Global discourses on the governance of food security span competing approaches. For example, a neoliberal approach advocates commercialized, industrial agriculture, while food sovereignty and resilience are part of an alternative discourse to food security that prioritizes locally-based agroecological food production. Understanding how global discourses play out locally and how they impact the environment and biodiversity is important to identify appropriate pathways towards sustainability. In addition to their effects on food security, different approaches could reinforce or impede the success of biodiversity conservation because of the strong interdependence of food security and ecosystems. I examined alternative approaches to food security and biodiversity conservation pursued by 30 stakeholders from local to national levels. Agricultural intensification, commercialization, and profit were widely considered important, while support for agroecology and resilience was largely restricted to non-governmental organizations. Except for supporters of the agroecology and resilience approach, biodiversity conservation was considered as a secondary goal. In conclusion, it is important to acknowledge plurality of food security approaches because local conditions are characterized by a multiplicity of stakeholder interests, and because food security is a complex problem that requires a multidimensional approach. However, major contradictions among existing approaches need to be reconciled, and the agroecology and resilience approach should be strengthened to ensure the sustainable achievement of food security and biodiversity conservation.

Who makes health governance decisions at the local level? A cross sectional study from primary health facilities in Tanzania.

Lower- and middle-income countries have decentralized decision-making at the community level, as well as community governance structures, to encourage community participation in governance processes, particularly in primary healthcare (PHC). In Tanzania, decentralization resulted in the establishment of Health Facility Governing Committees (HFGCs) to encourage community participation in the governance of primary health facilities to improve the quality and responsiveness of health service delivery. Nonetheless, despite the presence of HFGCs, PHC delivery remains ineffective and of poor quality. It is unclear who makes governance decisions at PHC facilities to ensure that services delivered are of expected quality and respond the community's needs, tastes, and preferences. This paper aims to assess the perspectives of members of the HFGC on who make governance decision in the context of fiscal decentralization. A cross-section design was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A four-multistagesampling technique was adopted to selects regions, council, health facilities, and HFGC members. Respondents who participated in structured questionnaire responses were chosen using proportional sampling, whereas those who participated in in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions were chosen using purposive selection. The data was analyzed descriptively and thematically. The study revealed that HFGCs members perceive that governance decisions in primary health facilities are primarily made by the health facility management, and later are presented in HFGCs. As such, HFGCs are used a passively used to justify participation in decision that was already made by the management, which contradict with the principal of decentralization that emphasizes community participation on fiscal decisions. Decentralization of PHC facilities does not guarantee the participation of community members in fiscal decision of their respective primary health facilities through HFGCs. HFGC is passively used governance structure to substitute community participation in primary health facilities'fiscal decisions. Enforcement mechanisms are required to facilitate effective community participation.

The Tunisian experience of participatory health governance: the Societal Dialogue for Health (a qualitative study)

BackgroundTunisia has been engaged in the Societal Dialogue (SD) for Health process since 2012, a participatory health governance process aimed at bringing in people’s voice into health policy-making. Its first success was the recently released National Health Policy 2030. This paper aims to document the SD process and to bring out the lessons learned to inspire other countries.MethodsThis study was based essentially on a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with citizen jury members and health experts that took place from May to September 2018. The qualitative analysis adopted an inductive-deductive approach according to a cross-matrix between the themes of the interview of the two groups of interviewees.ResultsThe qualitative analysis of the data highlighted that the Societal Dialogue created a health democracy dynamic with inclusive dialogue spaces for the population, communities, and civil society to participate in health system design. It constituted a multi-actor and multidisciplinary coordination platform to increase consensus building among actors. Initial government support and high levels of volunteer commitment allowed the process to achieve a certain level of sustainability. However, this process faced and still faces many challenges such as overreliance on volunteers; a crisis of trust; political instability and the lack of an effective communication strategy. These challenges negatively influence the policy uptake of recommendations made by the Societal Dialogue for Health.ConclusionThe Tunisian societal dialogue experience highlights both the successes and challenges of a structured participatory platform, as well as the effort and perseverance it takes to keep such a process functional and relevant. A key lesson from this study is that this model of participatory health governance eventually reaches a stage where population, community, and civil society participation needs to be more institutionalized within the government routine so that it can credibly feed into health policy review processes and inform decision-makers on a regular basis.

Co-design and its consequences: developing a shared patient engagement framework in the IMI-PARADIGM project

Abstract Whilst patient engagement (PE) activities have become increasingly prevalent in development of medicines, collaborating actors have different perspectives on the goals of PE and its added value. In the production of PE standards and frameworks, the significance of these differences tends to be minimised. Boundary objects have been shown to mediate knowledge exchange between multiple social worlds, thereby playing an important role in participatory technology governance processes. In this article, we draw on boundary objects to learn from the process of co-designing a PE monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework within the Innovative Medicines Initiative–Patients Active in Research and Dialogues for an Improved Generation of Medicines (IMI-PARADIGM) consortium (2018–20). As facilitators of PARADIGM’s co-design process, we report on the challenges encountered in developing a practicable M&E framework that serves a variety of needs and interests. We argue these challenges of co-design reflect a negotiation of different frames throughout, thereby providing insight into how such work may contribute to addressing the challenge of knowledge integration in institutional medicines development settings.

Participatory governance of intangible heritage to develop sustainable rural tourism: the timber-raftsmen of La Pobla de Segur, Spain

ABSTRACT Rural areas face the challenge of managing intangible heritage in ways that avoid problems such as the loss of authenticity linked to over-tourism, or living heritage becoming disconnected from the local community due to overprotection. This study explores an innovative method for promoting a participatory governance process for intangible heritage currently managed on a non-participatory basis, in that the local community establishes a consensual model of sustainable tourism development that promotes both the rural renaissance of the area and the preservation of its Intangible Cultural Heritage. This research explores the case of the ‘raiers’ (timber-raftmen) of La Pobla de Segur, an ancient trade of transporting timber by river, recently awarded Intangible World Heritage status by UNESCO. Methods include participant observation, interviews, and discussion groups. The local community felt empowered to find a consensus on how to manage this Intangible Cultural Heritage by focusing on sustainable tourism development that preserves heritage while contributing to the rural renaissance of the area. The local community eagerly engaged by putting forward proposals, indicating the importance of agreements and new initiatives.

Cultural Mapping Tools and Co-Design Process: A Content Analysis to Layering Perspectives on the Creative Production of Space

This study draws on the lessons learned during a summer school on cultural mapping (CM), which linked these methodologies and the co-design process to the city’s re-application to the UNESCO creative city designation. The event implemented artistic and participatory approaches, such as experimental initiatives that focused on the involvement of artists—the main creative producers of space—to foster participatory governance processes and reflect on the validity of the UNESCO label and its inherent monoculture emphasis. A content analysis of the course was done to provide a conceptual analysis of the theory and practice of cultural mapping that is generally under-theorized. By situating the course’s exercises in the theoretical triad of Lefebvre’s social production of space, the article indicates a possible structure for multi-perspective layering toward the participatory practices on the creative production of space. The results show that there is still no consistent way of presenting CM methodologies and processes, and for that CM remains not fully integrated into the planning and development practices of places. The study suggests further investigation on the links between cultural mapping and design science for co-design process crafting, and cultural mapping tool selection according to the different stages of multi-stakeholder work on articulating people-place meanings.

Wiederbelebung der Ortsgemeinschaft in einer kleinen Industriestadt in Südosteuropa: Fallstudie Fieni, Rumänien

Under communist rule, the development of many small and medium-sized industrial towns in Southeast Europe saw manufacturing industry become the engine of the local economy. The resulting deindustrialisation of the 1990s severely affected them. This study explores community perceptions within Fieni – formerly the most industrialised Romanian town – about its present development conditions and prospects. It also seeks people’s opinions to inform future planning through a participatory governance process. To analyse the inhabitants’ insights on the impact of deindustrialisation on their community, 69 street interviews were conducted with randomly selected people. The results highlight both a sense of nostalgia and pride for the town’s industrial past, and a deep dissatisfaction with its current socio-economic situation. However, younger respondents tended to hold optimistic hopes of discovering and developing new local economic niches. Additionally, there are conflicting perceptions between the general population and the decision makers on the planning of the town’s future, suggesting the need for more intense and cooperative development approach.

Innovative Public Governance. The Finnish Welfare State Model

Background: The rationality of developing citizen-friendly solutions is demonstrated by the state helping citizens, Finland has own pattern of public governance based inter alia on the ideals of New Public Management. As a peripheral country quite remote from the largest European centres of power such as Germany or France, it represents unique way of innovation in the welfare state model.
 Research objectives: The paper discusses the specifics of Finnish solutions in the field of public management. The present analysis was carried out based on the dependence of those solutions on cultural conditions.
 Research design and methods: The choice of Finland is justified by its leading position in various world rankings regarding its commitment to traditional regional values related to open public administration, the transparency of its operations, and public participation in governance processes, the social welfare state. The study uses secondary sources and applies systematic analysis.
 Results: Finland is seen as a latecomer in developing a welfare state, in part because of its rural and agrarian social structure. This process was strengthened by Finland’s special position between East and West during the Cold War.
 Conclusions: Finnish administrative culture stems directly from the innovative forms of public management developed among the Nordic countries. Finland is a model example of a country exhibiting rational, knowledge-driven progress and maintaining simplicity in developing citizen-friendly solutions

Barriers to Women Participation in Formal and Traditional Governance in Ghana

Mainstreaming women through gender specific policies is an acknowledged precondition for achieving meaningful development in any developing country such as Ghana. Regrettably, it is only recently that issues of women participation have been recognized as such in the context of policy reforms in both administrative and local government arenas in Ghana. Even with that, recent local government reforms in Ghana have not given opportunity for the creation of quota for women in grassroots democratic institutions. In the context of governance, women’s concerns had surfaced intermittently and have merely been highlighted in political party manifestoes and agenda. Most areas of Ghana are rural and lack essential services. And considering their role in rural community development, the state of women’s participation in the governance process is crucial and deserves special attention if development is to be delivered in a more sustainable and efficient manner. To do this effectively, the obstacles to women participation must be unveiled and eliminated to overcome some of the challenges in rural development delivery. The study established that there are serious challenges in gender balancing both in terms of formal and traditional governance policy and reform agenda in Ghana. Consequently, female representation in both formal and traditional governance systems has been very minimal. Some suggestions have been recommended as the way forward in overcoming the obstacles to women participation in governance processes.

Fishermen’s perceptions of constraints on adaptive capacity in the California market squid and California spiny lobster fisheries

Planning for resiliency in the face of unprecedented environmental change requires understanding the factors that constrain fishermen’s capacity to adapt. Scholars have highlighted numerous factors that may facilitate or constrain fishermen’s adaptive capacity, but ultimately fishermen act based on their own perceptions of their ability to respond and adapt to change within their broader social, environmental, and governance context. Subjective assessments of adaptive capacity are limited, yet critical, given that in the face of stressors, people’s actions are facilitated or constrained by their subjective perceptions of their capacity to take action. Using fishermen interviews and feedback sessions, we explored fishermen’s perceptions of constraints on their ability to adapt to change in two fisheries in the California Current System: California spiny lobster and California market squid. Our comparative assessment revealed important similarities and differences with regard to the likelihood that fishermen would perceive a given factor as a constraint, as well as the extent to which different domains of adaptive capacity, including diversity and flexibility in livelihood options, knowledge, and access to physical and financial capital, influence fishermen’s perceptions of constraints. Constraints relating to fishery governance, including permit access, fishery regulations, and broader concerns with fishery management were the most commonly perceived constraints in both fisheries. Individual-level constraints including mobility and knowledge of other fisheries and fishing locations were less frequently cited and significantly more likely to be perceived as constraints by spiny lobster fishermen than market squid fishermen. Our results highlight the importance of considering interactions between factors constraining different elements of adaptive capacity given that the broader governance context of fisheries can inhibit individual-level adaptive strategies. Overcoming barriers to adaptation necessitates planned and participatory governance processes that strengthen fishermen’s individual agency and ability to take meaningful action in the face of change.

Evolving approaches to civil society participation in governance processes

Political theories of civil society often apply the concept of civil society, which is considered holistic, containing norms and quasi-legal mechanisms that distinguish it from the state, economy and family, and regulating social relations. These theories often defi ne civil society as a social sphere opposed to the state. Civil society and the notion of civil society are currently being transformed by factors such as new governance, including neoliberal reforms and network development,and democratic transitions. Civil society is also linked to other concepts, including participation, development, the third sector and inclusion. Thus, the essence of civil society is linked to the context in which it is situated and implemented. This article aims to analyse the evolution of the understanding of civil society and its participation in the governance of social processes in the context of new approaches to governance practices articulated by theories of rational choice, neo-institutionalism, neoliberalism and the concept of the Third Way. The understanding of civil society is a historically determined phenomenon and depends on the specifi c context of social relations. In the 1990s there was a rethinking of the liberal concept of civil society, in which it was opposed to an oppressive state. At the same time, the ineffi ciency of state management and the failures of the common welfare state forced the search for new models of organisation of management processes, primarily by involving civil society organisations in the decision-making process and in performing some functions which previously belonged exclusively to the state. The theories of rational choice, neo-institutionalism and neo-liberalism provided the theoretical basis for changes in governance practices, which, however, failed to fully address two major problems: the lack of accountability mechanisms for CSOs and their representativeness – to what extent they are independent and how fully they represent the interests of the whole society. Key words: civil society, governance, neoinstitutionalism, neoliberalism, rational choice theories, participation, networks, the Third Way.

From Stakeholder to Rightsholder – Principles of Inclusion and Participation in Mining Governance

This article examines the evolution of participatory governance in mining and how stakeholder inclusion impacts mining project development. The article is based on a historical case study of mining licensing in Finland and the data includes archival materials, official documents, media texts, and supporting interviews. The article finds that the institutional complexity of the governance processes has increased throughout time as more permits, public institutions and rightsholder groups have been introduced as part of the licensing process. As the stakeholder inclusion has expanded to include virtually anyone, only those groups who hold a particular position by law are able to have meaningful participation and are included in the decisions. This has profound implications for the principles of participatory governance and stakeholder inclusion. These findings contribute to the stakeholder engagement literature by theorising upon the difference of rightsholding and stakeholding for inclusion and participation in governance processes and the role of state for provision of rights.

Leadership and governance challenges in delivering place-based transformation through Smart Specialisation

ABSTRACT This paper considers the unfolding of Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) in one of Europe’s innovation-leading metropolitan regions: Stockholm, Sweden. Theoretically, it contributes to debates around change agency and reflects more broadly, which implications arise for metropolitan innovation-leader regions and which are of more generic nature. It argues that actor endowments, dense networks, experience with participatory governance processes and good governance are not sufficient for a successful implementation of RIS3. It finds that transformative regional innovation policy is contingent upon the adequate empowerment of change agents rather than on general regional preconditions.

Participation for just governance of food-system transition

Sustainability transitions governance needs to be inclusive and participatory and the question of justice is crucial for making effective and acceptable changes possible. But how do we ensure adequate participation in governance processes and enable reconciliation between competing goals in relation to sustainability transitions? Transition management highlights the need for participatory and reflexive governance processes to enable sustainability transitions. However, due to participant selection and limitations in chosen approaches, deliberative and participatory forums may have difficulties ensuring justice and legitimacy. A systemic and practice-oriented perspective on deliberation points to the need to widen deliberative activities and analysis on multiple sites, but the connection to transition governance and justice remains weak. In the context of food systems, various movements and networks, such as alternative food networks, food-policy councils, and food-sovereignty movements, work to create a more just and sustainable food system. They form an interesting manifestation for participation in just food governance and can provide new ideas for the development of more equitable governance practices. We analyze studies on civil society participation in food-system transitions to develop understanding of how to improve just transition governance. Based on this investigation, more just sustainability transition governance requires systemic and reflexive deliberation that is also capable of accounting for the role of social movements. There furthermore is a need for institutional arrangements to support this kind of decision making.

Participatory Governance and Responsiveness: Do Motivational Interventions Increase Engagement with Citizen Input?

Bureaucrats are important agents in participatory governance processes, especially in local government where bureaucrats are awarded greater discretion to enact small changes to local policy. This study employs a large field experiment to test (1) whether bureaucrats tasked with policy design and implementation engage with citizen input and (2) whether bureaucrats’ engagement with citizen input can be increased by using non-monetary rewards and value-based communication. It finds low baseline engagement but that motivational interventions increase engagement with citizen input significantly and substantially. The study contributes to theories of public service motivation and the role of bureaucrats in serving the public. Empirically, its contribution centres on testing the potential for interventions to heighten the attention bureaucrats award to information that citizens legitimately relay to the bureaucracy via participatory initiatives.

Design and Development of Mediated Participation for Environmental Governance Transformation: Experiences with Community Art and Visual Problem Appraisal

For environmental governance to be more effective and transformative, it needs to enhance the presence of experimental and innovative approaches for participation. This enhancement requires a transformation of environmental governance, as too often the (public) participation process is set up as a formal obligation in the development of a proposed intervention. This article, in search of alternatives, and in support of this transformation elaborates on spaces where participatory and deliberative governance processes have been deployed. Experiences with two mediated participation methodologies – community art and visual problem appraisal – allow a demonstration of their potential, relevance and attractiveness. Additionally, the article analyzes the challenges that result from the nature of these arts-based methodologies, from the confrontational aspects of voices overlooked in conventional approaches, and from the need to rethink professionals’ competences. Considering current environmental urgencies, mediated participation and social imaginaries still demonstrate capacities to open new avenues for action and reflection.

Effects of Community Awareness on Public Participation of Women in the Development Planning Processes in Awendo Sub County

Public participation is a principle that has been given prominence in the Constitution of Kenya (2010). Participation should imbue all public affairs and be promoted by both genders acting in public interest. The Constitution sets key requirements for the legislature at both levels of government to provide frameworks for public participation in governance processes. The emphasis for feminist participation underscores the fact that the election of representatives does not negate the need for people to continuously be involved in governance processes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of community awareness on public participation of women in the development planning processes in Awendo Sub County. The target population of the study was from the four administrative wards of Awendo Sub County, twenty (20) Religious leaders and local opinion leaders from each of the four wards selected randomly and four (4) members of County Assembly from Awendo Sub County. The target population was 57,724 participants. Using Krejcie& Morgan table, the sample size was three hundred and eighty two (382) people. Stratified sampling technique was used to partition the sample frame. Proportionate sampling was used to get the actual sample of each stratum relative to the overall sample size. Simple random technique was used to select the specific size from the strata of the target population. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected, using interview schedules for key informants and questionnaires respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPPS) version 22. Qualitative data was transcribed and reported according to emergent themes and narratives while Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data was presented by the use of tables.The study concluded that the level of public participation is highly dependent on level of public awareness and vice versa. Keywords: Women, Awareness, Community, Public participation, Development Planning DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-2-04 Publication date: April 30 th 2022

Insights in Urban Resource Management: A Comprehensive Understanding of Unexplored Patterns

In the last few decades, the rapid urbanisation process has led to an exponential growth of resource use, making increasingly difficult to ensure the principles of sustainability within urban systems. Similar to living organisms, cities have always required resources and energy to survive. However, technological development and population growth have consequently led to increasing urban inflows and outflows, in so deeply altering the relations of cities with the environment as a source and a sink. Examples include the extraction of minerals for built environment and industrial processes providing manufactured goods; the conversion of fossil energy into electricity for buildings and fuel for vehicles; the use of natural resources (e.g., land or water) to support urban expansion activities. In a planet with limited resources, the challenge should not be to find new resources but to improve the way we use them and the lifestyles that they support, or in other words, to plan strategies to generate more value and higher quality of life with fewer inputs. It is well-known that cities depend on imports of external resources; however, they also benefit from internal resources and ecosystem services. Based on this framework, an urgent effort is needed to explore crucial urban issues that have not yet been adequately investigated. A strategic resource management is needed to actually move towards sustainable cities. In particular, a special focus should be placed on: (i) to monitor and properly manage the city's resources and energy systems within the metaphor of “urban metabolism;” (ii) to define innovative approaches, actions and strategies that ensure the sustainable management of non-renewable urban resources; (iii) to protect and restore urban ecosystem services as valuable renewable resources, and finally (iv) to envisage participatory governance processes for the appropriate allocation of resources to the common well-being.