Public Participation Project Research Articles

Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals based on the relationship between Citizen Science and Information Science

Citizen Science has the potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting the active participation of citizens in scientific projects. In the same context, Information Science provides a theoretical framework for Citizen Science, with a view to dealing with the management and access to scientific information generated by public participation projects. To this end, the aim of this article is to highlight the contributions and influences of Information Science in relation to the potential of Citizen Science for monitoring the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. Methodologically, the research described has basic characteristics, through a bibliographic survey, since it seeks to identify the current level of knowledge, points of view and new discoveries around the topic addressed, using the data triangulation technique to treat the results. The results show the potential of Citizen Science and the contributions of Information Science, according to researchers and institutions in the field, in relation to the guidelines for implementing the 2030 Agenda. The conclusion is that the potential of Citizen Science, in the light of the contributions and alignment with Information Science, for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, can more effectively guarantee the broad diversity of projects and actions aimed at citizen participation both in scientific research and in achieving global goals.

How has digital participatory mapping influenced urban planning: Views from nine planning cases from Finland

Although the successfulness of public participation projects has been studied from many different perspectives, there is a lack of knowledge of how participation influences the planning outcomes. Through the interview study of nine Finnish urban planning projects, we studied how the use of a digital public participation GIS tool has influenced the outcomes of urban planning. In the selected cases the information collected with a PPGIS tool has been highly valued by the planners, leading to concretely influential participation in 6 out of 9 cases. In these cases, the planners gave concrete examples of how the information had influenced the created plan or draft. We created a model that describes how the information produced by participants is traveling from the participants to the outcome of the planning process. With this model, the main factors limiting the degree of influence were recognized, and actions were presented that could increase the influence.

CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION OF A PORTFOLIO OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROJECTS

Abstract. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the need for improvement and further development of methodological approaches to the management of project portfolios, in terms of the formation of the latter based on the issues of public participation project management. The subject of the research is the methods, models, mechanisms and standards of project portfolio formation, considered in the context of public participation project portfolio formation. The object of research is the process of managing public participation projects. Research methodology. The research was conducted according to the practice of managing public participation projects in the territorial communities of cities - regional centers - of Ukraine, as well as the city of Kyiv in 2016–2021. The method of scientific identification and comparative analysis was used in the formation of the conceptual basis of the research, as well as in the analysis of scientific works; when developing the concept of forming a portfolio of public participation projects - abstract-logical method, case method; with the development of models for determining the optimal composition of the portfolio of public participation projects - the method of integer programming, methods of evaluating the effectiveness of investment projects, the concept of the value of money over time. Keywords: project management, project portfolio, management of project portfolios, portfolio-oriented management, public participation projects, public project, public budget.

The Policy Cycle: a framework for knowledge management of practitioners' expertise and role in participatory processes

There is extensive literature on stakeholder theory and knowledge management in the private sector, but less on the public sector, particularly in the context of public participation projects. Public participation initiatives are often designed using a case-by-case approach to identify relevant stakeholder groups, the engagement methods, and the tools to be used. In addition, public sector organizations (PSOs) often rely on participation experts and practitioners' professional knowledge to design successful participation projects. Given that public participation is to enable PSOs access to participants' knowledge, knowledge management is a central issue in public participation projects. In this multi-method, qualitative study we focus on the management of experts' and practitioners' knowledge, and we aim to show how their knowledge contributes to participatory processes and projects, and how the policy cycle can be used as a knowledge management framework to collect and structure their knowledge. We used sequential analysis to study the experiences of 84 practitioners from the public sector collected during a series of workshops. Our findings show the need to locate participation initiatives in the context of the government policy cycle, that the policy cycle can be used for knowledge management in public participation projects and to recognize that practitioners represent a key stakeholder group in public participation.

FORMATION OF PORTFOLIOS OF SOCIAL PROJECTS IN ORGANIZATION

The topicality of the topic is determined by the need for improvement and further development of scientific and methodological support for the management of social programs in the organization, carried out with the direct participation of its employees, under the conditions of the introduction of portfolio-oriented management in this field. The purpose of the study is to improve and further develop the scientific and methodological support for the management of social programs of the organization based on the interpretation of the measures of these programs as projects that make up the relevant portfolios (sub-portfolios). Research tasks: 1) analyze approaches to the formation and classification of social programs in the organization; 2) to adapt the concept of forming portfolios of public participation projects to the conditions of forming portfolios of projects of social programs of internal direction of the organization, which provide for the direct participation of the organization's employees in the specified formation. Research methodology. The method of scientific identification was used when forming the conceptual basis of the study; when analyzing approaches to the formation and classification of social programs in the organization - the method of comparative analysis; to adapt the concept of forming portfolios of public participation projects to the conditions of forming portfolios of projects of social programs of the organization's internal direction, which involve the participation of the organization's employees - the method of analogies.

Issues in Conservation—Three Value Moments in the Public Perception of Cultural Heritage Objects in Public Spaces

Cultural heritage professionals are becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of care being taken by municipalities for their cultural heritage objects which include works of art in public places. They have therefore begun to ask the public to help take care of “their” cultural heritage through so-called public participation projects. Cultural heritage professionals tacitly assume that if they “teach” the public to treasure such objects of “their” heritage, the public will become more proactive in helping to conserve them. However, research being conducted by the authors is showing that a majority of the general public often has a completely different awareness and/or feeling about cultural heritage objects in their neighborhoods than the cultural heritage professionals think they have, or think they should have. Three recent case studies carried out by the authors show that these differences are most noticeable during so-called “value moments” at the beginning and at the perceived end of an object’s life. These are the two moments when decisions are made, usually by cultural heritage professionals, to place an object in a neighborhood or have it significantly changed or removed, often to the surprise and disagreement of the residents. Between these two moments lay many moments when an object is taken for granted, grudgingly accepted, or not even noticed. Given the fact that cultural heritage professionals often make the ultimate decisions and do not always consider or outright ignore public opinion, it should not be surprising that there is an increasingly negative public perception of what they do. The results of the case studies illustrate the need for professionals to consider and accept as valid, public feelings about cultural heritage objects in their neighborhoods.

Engaging with policy practitioners to promote institutionalisation of public participation in science, technology and innovation policy

This paper is a reflective account of a public participation project the authors conducted in Japan in 2012–2015, as part of the central government's initiative for evidence-based policy-making. The reflection focusses on three key aspects of the project: setting a precedent of involving public participation in policy-making; embedding an official mechanism for public participation in policy-making process; and raising policy practitioners' awareness of public participation. We also discuss why we think engaging with policy practitioners, while problematic in various ways, is and will continue to be important in promoting institutionalised practice of public participation.

ENABLING AND BUBLIC PARTICIBATION AS APPROACHES FOR HOUSING SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

The housing problem has a top priority for most countries, and with the governmental efforts failure with their traditional policies to treat it, efforts started to take new strategies and mechanisms to solve it. In the 1970s the positive role of the users' energies and their resources began to take attentions, which encourage international organizations and international conferences to confirm the necessity to adopt the enabling strategies to obtain suitable houses, depending on the various multiple resources of the parties of the housing process, instead of depending on only public resources. So it is requires to create a suitable environment to promote and develop the capacities of all parties, and to enhance relations between them. and motivate parties to participate, with clear definition and distribution of roles. Develop institutional and organizational frameworks to support decentralization review the role of the central government, and delegate Authorities to local governments, with strengthen and develop the role of intermediate actors to activate an integrated work system.This study examines and analyzes Ouagadougou's experience in Burkina Faso as one of the enabling and public participation projects. to define the gap between the theoretical concept of (enabling and public participation) and its actual application. In an attempt to find a formula for balancing between the role played by governments, and the theoretical concept that requires integration of all parties roles together, to reduce the governmental responsibility and transform it from supplier and producer to partner, mentor and observe.This study deals with: First, the historical perspective of enabling and participation, their concept, objectives and types; second, the basis of enabling and participation, the main parties, tools and executive mechanisms. Third, analyze and evaluate Ouagadougou experience in Burkina Faso.The research concludes with a set of conclusions and recommendations that contribute in the formulation of a proposed vision for enabling housing policies and the formulation of a theoretical framework to activate enabling and public participation in providing adequate houses and limit the housing problem.

Application of Fuzzy Set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Public Participation Projects in Support of the EU Water Framework Directive.

This study analyzes the level of satisfaction of stakeholders in the public participation process (PPP) of water resources management, which is mandatory according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The methodology uses a fuzzy set/qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which allows the identification of a combination of factors that lead to the outcome that is stakeholders' satisfaction. It allows dealing with uncertain environments due to the heterogeneous nature of stakeholders and factors. The considered causes range from environmental objectives pursued, actual capacity of efficiently carrying out those objectives, socioeconomic development of the region, level of involvement and means of participation of the stakeholders engaged in the PPP, and alternative policies and measures that should be performed. Results support the argument that different causal paths explain the stakeholders' satisfaction. The methodology may help in the implementation of the WFD and conflict resolution since it leads to greater fairness, social equity, and consensus among stakeholders.

Applications of ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators in environmental problems

<p>This paper presents an application of a prioritized weighted aggregation operator based on ordered weighted averaging (OWA) to deal with stakeholders' constructive participation in water resources projects. They have different degree of acceptance or preference regarding the measures and policies to be carried out, which lead to different environmental and socio-economic outcomes, and hence, to different levels of stakeholders’ satisfaction. The methodology establishes a prioritization relationship upon the stakeholders, which preferences are aggregated by means of weights depending on the satisfaction of the higher priority policy maker. The methodology establishes a prioritization relationship upon the stakeholders, which preferences are aggregated by means of weights depending on the satisfaction of the higher priority policy maker. The methodology has been successfully applied to a Public Participation Project (PPP) in watershed management, thus obtaining efficient environmental measures in conflict resolution problems under actors’ preference uncertainties.</p>

Applied Mathematical Problems in Engineering

There is a close relationship between engineering and mathematics, which has led to the development of new techniques in recent years. Likewise the developments in technology and computers have led to new ways of teaching mathematics for engineering students and the use of modern techniques and methods. This research aims to provide insight on how to deal with mathematical problems for engineering students. This is performed by means of a fuzzy set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis applied to conflict resolution of Public Participation Projects in support to the EU Water Framework Directive.

Decision making under uncertainty in environmental projects using mathematical simulation modeling

In decision-making processes, reliability and risk aversion play a decisive role. The aim of this study is to perform an uncertainty assessment of the effects of future scenarios of sustainable groundwater pumping strategies on the quantitative and chemical status of an aquifer. The good status of the aquifer is defined according to the terms established by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). A decision support systems (DSS) is presented, which makes use of a stochastic inverse model (GC method) and geostatistical approaches to calibrate equally likely realizations of hydraulic conductivity (K) fields for a particular case study. These K fields are conditional to available field data, including hard and soft information. Then, different future scenarios of groundwater pumping strategies are generated, based on historical information and WFD standards, and simulated for each one of the equally likely K fields. The future scenarios lead to different environmental impacts and levels of socioeconomic development of the region and, hence, to a different degree of acceptance among stakeholders. We have identified the different stakeholders implied in the decision-making process, the objectives pursued and the alternative actions that should be considered by stakeholders in a public participation project (PPP). The MonteCarlo simulation provides a highly effective way for uncertainty assessment and allows presenting the results in a simple and understandable way even for non-experts stakeholders. The methodology has been successfully applied to a real case study and lays the foundations to perform a PPP and stakeholders’ involvement in a decision-making process as required by the WFD. The results of the methodology can help the decision-making process to come up with the best policies and regulations for a groundwater system under uncertainty in groundwater parameters and management strategies and involving stakeholders with conflicting interests.

Public Participation Distribution and Marketing

The distribution of public participation in Western political environments has become an important topic in recent years. Low participation rates combined with low levels of trust toward government officials has resulted in low efficiency of public participation projects. Whereas prior research has focused on the quality of public participation projects, this study focuses on upstream processes to optimize public participation marketing and distribution. The present study tests the applicability of hierarchical marketing instruments with structural equation modeling in a sample of 266 individuals obtained from a random survey in Germany. The results indicate a sufficient relationship between the hierarchical steps.

Missed opportunities for introducing transformational government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to trace the trajectory of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, an electronic tolling (e-tolling) programme based in South Africa, to argue for the importance of taking advantage of similar public project opportunities to introduce the concept of Transformational Government (t-government). Design/methodology/approach The research uses an interpretive perspective and utilizes actor–network theory (ANT) to identify the roles and interests of the various stakeholders within the project and assess how each stakeholder could have better influenced the project’s sustainability using a t-government approach. Findings The findings suggest that in the midst of waning global actor interest, and strong local displeasure about specific public projects, public participation offers an ideal opportunity to introduce the notion of t-government, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform government for citizen benefits. The research allowed the authors to posit that public participation projects are solid and indispensable avenues for introducing t-government. Part of this claim is hinged on the view that the specific e-toll project carries a visible ICT artefact, which has embodied its own patterns of use characterized by various viewpoints, values, opinions and rhetoric. Practical implications The paper elevates the importance of t-government as a means to bring about practical transformation in government using public projects. The paper suggests how governments can use public participatory approaches to assimilate a new way of working in government. Originality/value This paper contributes to research on the emerging discourse on t-government. The paper also highlights the utility of ANT as a tool for understanding the dynamic public sector ICT programmes, their associated complexities and unintended consequences.

Decision-making and stakeholders' constructive participation in environmental projects

Integrated water resources management means making decisions and taking actions while focusing on how managing water. This study identifies the stakeholders participating in decision-making process of Jumilla-Villena aquifer (SE Spain), their objectives, and alternative actions that stakeholders should consider in the public participation project. If the system achieves the good quantitative groundwater status in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), future scenarios regarding pumping strategies may arise. These future scenarios will lead to different environmental impacts and socio-economic development of the region, and hence, to a different acceptance degree between stakeholders. This study establishes the foundations to perform a public participation project and contributes to define the best management policies for the groundwater system.

Science and the Lay Perspective: Lay People's Involvement in Assessing Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering (TE) is a scientific field that will have an influence on our daily lives. It has the potential to revolutionize medical treatments, but it has also an impact on our human image and is associated with potential risks and ethical aspects. Among the publicly controversial issues are embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, cloning, uncertainties regarding risks and informed consent issues. To maintain public confidence in the science of TE, a good solution is public dialogues with patients and other interested lay people that gives the public the chance to independently evaluate TE issues and build their own opinion based on information from different perspectives. The article describes public participation projects in TE on stem cell research and gene therapy and presents the case study of the EU-Gene Activated Matrices for Bone and Cartilage Regeneration on Arthritis (GAMBA) panels, a dialogue with patient and citizen panels in three European countries. In the GAMBA panels, lay participants assessed the basic research project aimed at finding ways of healing osteoarthritis through a matrix composed of adult stem cells, gene vectors, nanoparticles, and biomaterials. The results of the dialogues in different countries, such as Denmark, Japan, Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany, are compared and the evaluation criteria for high quality dialogues are presented, including multiperspectivity, openness of results, a clear mandate, impartial facilitation of the panels, and transparency.

Increasing Public Involvement in Structural Biology

Public participation in scientific research can be a powerful supplement to more-traditional approaches. We discuss aspects of the public participation project Foldit that may help others interested in starting their own projects.

Value Evaluation System for Urban Design Review

The theory of urban design has been adopted for years, but only a few researchers have extended their studies discussing value from the perspective of urban design review. This paper aims to understand the items of urban design review and to establish the value evaluating system of urban design review to catch the trend in controlling urban environmental quality. According to the difference of each urban’s stage, this study separates Taiwanese cities as metropolitan, regional, and local one, and compares six different city’s relative contents and seven different review items. From overview of the urban design evaluation system developing, the framework of the value evaluation system for urban design review considers 15 factors, classified into five categories: the richness of architectural patterns, diversity of ecological landscapes, accessibility of transportation, livability of society and culture, and sustainability of economy and industry. Thus some problems regarding urban design should be resolved,improve the completion of system planning by ecological methods, enable the implementation of a variety of public participation project, beautiful, and healthy city in the future.

Being Special, Becoming Indigenous: Dilemmas of Special Adat Rights in Indonesia

Abstract From 1998 onwards Indonesia’s reform era (reformasi) has captured the imagination of growing numbers of observers, experts and scholars. Policies of decentralisation and enhanced public participation projects have reawakened old debates surrounding indigenous rights, power and status. This article examines the dilemma of special rights, particularly those related to the political revival of customs and traditions (adat istiadat). Calls for exigent recognition and redistributive rights for particular groups and ‘unique’ village communities frequently take the form of indirect regulatory negotiations and direct struggles for land. Case studies from Sulawesi are therefore used to examine heavily contested processes of decentralisation and local autonomy, which in many respects enable the revival of local adat. Distinctions are made between static and fluid views of adat, between being special by virtue of birthright on the one hand, and becoming indigenous by way of deliberate political intervention and mobilisation on the other.

Systematic evaluation of public participation projects: Analytical framework and application based on two Belgian neighborhood watch projects

In this article, we present an analytical framework that lists the conditions for successful public participation in government affairs. In view of the increased importance of neighborhood watch projects/information networks, we apply the framework to this form of public participation. We analyze and compare two Belgian cases on the basis of document analysis, interviews with participants involved in the cases and a panel of experts. Our case study shows that the conditions that are described in the current article (participation and collaboration, resources, policy involvement, communication, context, method, and continuity) are relevant for analyses of this type and indicate important guidelines for government communication policies.