The Diversity of Public Participation Tools: Complementing or Competing With One Another?

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Bherer ◽  
Sandra Breux
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Participation Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Participation Publique

Abstract. The objective of this article is to understand the relations of complementarity and competition between participation mechanisms, a topic that has as yet attracted little empirical investigation, although there is discussion on this issue in the public participation literature. We study the cases of Montreal and Quebec City, where, since the amalgamations in 2002, a public assembly/referendum process has been added to the participation tools already in place in the two cities (public hearings and neighbourhood councils). What can we learn from these two cases about the impact on public participation of the diversification of tools? To explore this subject, we have chosen to use a policy instrument framework to analyze three factors that affect the interactions between policy instruments: the design of the participation tools, the meaning that the actors give to these instruments, and the institutional context in which they are implemented.Résumé. L'objectif de cet article est de comprendre les relations de complémentarité et de compétition entre les dispositifs de participation publique, un thème peu traité empiriquement, même s'il y a des discussions sur cet enjeu dans la documentation sur la participation publique. Notre enquête porte sur le cas de Montréal et de Québec où, depuis les fusions municipales de 2002, un processus d'assemblée publique/référendum a été ajouté aux outils de participation déjà en place (audiences publiques et conseils de quartier). Qu'est-ce que ces deux cas peuvent nous apprendre sur les effets de la multiplication des dispositifs participatifs sur la pratique de la participation publique? Pour explorer ce sujet, nous analysons 3 facteurs qui influencent les interactions entre les instruments de politiques publiques : le design des dispositifs participatifs, la compréhension que les acteurs ont de ces instruments et le contexte institutionnel dans lequel ils sont mis en œuvre.

scholarly journals Public support for ‘soft’ versus ‘hard’ public policies: Review of the evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchayan Banerjee ◽  
Manu Savani ◽  
Ganga Shreedhar
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Educational Campaigns

This article reviews the literature on public support for ‘soft’ versus ‘hard’ policy instruments for behaviour change, and the factors that drive such preferences. Soft policies typically include ‘moral suasion’ and educational campaigns, and more recently behavioural public policy approaches like nudges. Hard policy instruments, such as laws and taxes, restrict choices and alter financial incentives. In contrast to the public support evidenced for hard policy instruments during COVID-19, prior academic literature pointed to support for softer policy instruments. We investigate and synthesise the evidence on when people prefer one type of policy instrument over another. Drawing on multi-disciplinary evidence, we identify perceived effectiveness, trust, personal experience and self-interest as important determinants of policy instrument preferences, along with broader factors including the choice and country context. We further identify various gaps in our understanding that informs and organise a future research agenda around three themes. Specifically, we propose new directions for research on what drives public support for hard versus soft behavioural public policies, highlighting the value of investigating the role of individual versus contextual factors (especially the role of behavioural biases); how preferences evolve over time; and whether and how preferences spillovers across different policy domains.

Enhancing E-Participation in Urban Planning Competitions

2022 ◽  
pp. 1238-1265
Author(s):  
Pilvi Nummi ◽  
Susa Eräranta ◽  
Maarit Kahila-Tani
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Competition Process ◽  
The Impact

Planning competitions are used as a way to determine alternatives and promote innovative solutions in the early phase of urban planning. However, the traditional jury-based evaluation process is encountering significant opposition, as it does not consider the views of local residents. This chapter describes how web-based public participation tools are utilized in urban planning competitions to register public opinion alongside the expert view given by the jury. The research focus of this chapter is on studying how public participation can be arranged in competition processes, how the contestants use the information produced, and how it has been utilized in further planning of the area. Based on two Finnish case studies, this study indicates that web-based tools can augment public participation in the competition process. However, the results indicate that the impact of participation on selecting the winner is weak. Instead, in further planning of the area, the public opinions are valuable.

Political Parties and Public Participation in Constitution Making: Legitimation, Distraction, or Real Influence?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Hudson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Participatory Methods ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Party Strength ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Constitution Making

Over the past three decades, participatory methods of constitution making have gained increasing acceptance and are now an indispensable part of any constitution-making process. Despite this, we know little about how much public participation actually affects the constitution. This article investigates the impact of participation in two groundbreaking cases: Brazil (1988) and South Africa (1996). This analysis demonstrates that public participation has relatively small effects on the text, but that it varies in systematic ways. The theory advanced here posits that party strength (especially in terms of discipline and programmatic commitments) is the key determinant of the effectiveness of public participation. Strong parties may be more effective in many ways, but they are less likely to act on input from the public in constitution-making processes.

scholarly journals Using forms of direct democracy to ensure public participation in the municipal budget process

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Natalya Vasilyeva ◽  
Yuliya Pyatkovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Video Conference ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Local Budget ◽  
Municipal Level

The article notes that the requirement of openness (transparency) of budget relations is one of the priority directions of state policy and the criterion of the international rating. Russia has the lowest rating on the index of public participation in the budget process. In this regard, the budget relations at the municipal level are in a better position, since public hearings are required for drafts of the local budget and the report on its implementation. The authors evaluate this form of direct democracy in order to ensure public participation in the budget process, conclude that it is minimally sufficient, and suggest that public hearings should work to bring the «budget for citizens» to the public. The article also discusses other forms of direct democracy. It is concluded that there is a legislative ban on the use of forms of mandatory democracy in the budget process, as well as on the legality and expediency of such regulation. It is recommended to use a survey of citizens as a form of consultative democracy. It is proposed to consider the possibility of using public discussions and holding public hearings in the format of a video conference in budget relations.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Impact of the Bank of Russia Key Rate on the Commercial Banks’ Deposit Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-111
Author(s):  
M. N. Konyagina ◽  
I. R. Meurmishvili ◽  
A. A. Dochkina
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
State Of The Economy ◽  
Current Impact ◽  
The Impact

The monetary policy of the Central Bank is in the sphere of interests of economists of various specializations. Determining the value of money in the economy, the money supply, and ensuring the effective functioning of the national payment system, the regulator has a significant impact on the state of the economy and determines the prospects for its development. One of the most important monetary policy instruments is the key rate. However, the efficiency of its application in different economies at different historical periods is different.At the same time, commercial banks, being the core of the credit system, are extremely dependent on the volume and quality characteristics of accumulated deposits. Private clients’ deposits are an important resource for both short-term and long-term operations of credit organizations. In Russia, banks play a leading role in the financial market. In this regard, the evaluation of the impact of a key rate as an important monetary policy instrument on the banks’ deposit policy is of particular relevance in the current state of the Russian economy. Therefore, determining as an aim of the research the evaluation of the current impact of the Bank of Russia key rate on the Russian credit organizations’ deposit policy, the authors sorted out the necessary relevant data on interest rates and deposit volumes in Russian commercial banks in 2014–2018, assessed the strength of the relationship between the Bank of Russia key rate and banks’ deposit rates and the volume of deposits in the country, identified the problems of implementing monetary policy in Russia and evaluated the effectiveness of the key rate as the monetary policy tool.

scholarly journals Simulating public interest: the issue of the public voice in the fee-for-carriage debate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Williams
Keyword(s):  
Policy Process ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
Severe Degree ◽  
The Impact

"One of the most fractious Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC, or the Commission) policy hearings on record has recently come to a close. This was no run-of-the-mill, watch-the-paint-dry policy hearing. Tempers and passions flared as two industry titans, over-the-air (OTA) broadcasters, such as CTV and Canwest Global, and broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs) such as Shaw Communications, Bell Canada and Rogers Inc. fought the battle of their lives over an issue called fee-for-carriage (FFC). The media covered the issues day in and day out. Canadians bombarded the CRTC with dose to 200,000 comments and the Government of Canada forced the CRTC to hold an additional hearing just to address the impact the decision could have on the public. With extensive media coverage and uncharacteristically active public participation, could this public policy process be deemed 'democracy in action'? This paper will argue that this is not the case. Through a discourse analysis of the debate within two distinctly differentiated public spheres -- 1) the battling media campaigns and 2) the CRTC public hearings in November and December of 2009 -- this paper will show that the public's ability to define its own interest, using its own voice, is tarnished to such a severe degree that this policy process fails"--From Introduction (page 3).

scholarly journals Policy Instrument of Integrated Self-Sufficient City on Transmigration Area in Northern Bengkulu, the Province of Bengkulu

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 09003
Author(s):  
M. Mujtahid Iqbal ◽  
Suwitri Sri ◽  
Darm Titi
Keyword(s):  
Development Policy ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Interactive Methods ◽  
City Development ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Data Presentation ◽  
The Public ◽  
City Construction ◽  
City Policy

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze Integrated Self-Sufficient City development policy instrument. This research was conducted with qualitative methods, data presentation is done through interviews, documentation and observation, while data analysis is performed by adopting the thought Miles, Huberman and Saldana (2014) by using interactive methods of analysis models.The results of this study concluded that “policy instruments Integrated Self-Sufficient City construction on transmigration area in Northern Bengkulu district proven cannot be implemented to the fullest”. Conclusion of the existing findings as described from the evidence that there are the following. Recommendations are: The success of Integrated Self-Sufficient City policy implementation can be perceived by the public and appropriate goal would initially need to do various strengthening and improvement of the implementation of the policy. So that the reinforcement can be realized if the strengthening of institutional functions in every sector can formulate policies are clear and measurable. To the researchers have several recommendations that may be referenced regarding synergize the various types of policy instruments by taking into account local conditions and regulations as well as regional development.Integrated Self-Sufficient City promoting policies to all working Units local goverment that Integrated Self-Sufficient City program development across sectors that require coordination both at central and regional level.

Enhancing E-Participation in Urban Planning Competitions

2018 ◽  
pp. 60-94
Author(s):  
Pilvi Nummi ◽  
Susa Eräranta ◽  
Maarit Kahila-Tani
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Competition Process ◽  
The Impact

Planning competitions are used as a way to determine alternatives and promote innovative solutions in the early phase of urban planning. However, the traditional jury-based evaluation process is encountering significant opposition, as it does not consider the views of local residents. This chapter describes how web-based public participation tools are utilized in urban planning competitions to register public opinion alongside the expert view given by the jury. The research focus of this chapter is on studying how public participation can be arranged in competition processes, how the contestants use the information produced, and how it has been utilized in further planning of the area. Based on two Finnish case studies, this study indicates that web-based tools can augment public participation in the competition process. However, the results indicate that the impact of participation on selecting the winner is weak. Instead, in further planning of the area, the public opinions are valuable.

30. Parliament and Petitions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Caygill ◽  
Anne-Marie Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
House Of Commons ◽  
The Public ◽  
System P ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines how the UK Parliament has used the e-petitions system to address some of the common criticisms about the relationship between the institution of government and the public. In May 2014, the House of Commons agreed to establish a ‘collaborative’ e-petitions system which would enable the public to petition the House of Commons and to call for action from the government. A Petitions Committee was created on 20 July 2015, and the new e-petitions site was launched the following day. The chapter first provides an overview of the changing nature of participation with Parliament, especially voting in elections, before discussing contemporary developments in petitioning Parliament. In particular, it considers public (paper) petitions and compares it to the e-petitions system. It also analyses the impact of e-petitions on Parliament and public participation and concludes with an assessment of challenges facing the e-petitions system.

Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessments Between Spain and Portugal

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (02) ◽  
pp. 1550022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Vicente ◽  
Teresa Fidélis ◽  
Gonzalo Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Considerable Increase ◽  
Significant Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
The Impact

Since 2000, the Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TEIA) process in the Iberian context has undergone significant development due to new circumstances that came into play at the bilateral and European levels: (i) the adoption of a collaborative TEIA Protocol between Spain and Portugal in 2008; and (ii) the increasing number of cross-border projects supported by European Union funds. Despite these developments, the impact of this bilateral regulation on public participation, the cornerstone of any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), has not yet been fully examined. Drawing from specific literature focusing on the involvement of the public as the basis of effective improvement of the TEIA, this paper critically analyses if the lates transboundary provision has encouraged public participation in this context. Although the analysis of the TEIA enforcement revealed a considerable increase in the number of consultations between the neighbouring states compared to the previous situation, public involvement has not increased. Based on these findings, this paper presents a set of recommendations to more effectively involve the public in transboundary consultations.

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