scholarly journals Assessment of public participation in local planning & decision-making. A case study from Albania

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Mirjam Dibra ◽  
Dea Strica
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Planning Decision ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Local Decision Making

The public participation (PP) is widely legitimised as a vital prerequisite to achieve sustainable development and as a basic principle of democracy. Under the conditions of the new territorial administrative-territorial division of local government units in the Republic of Albania, the Malesia e Madhe (MM) Municipality is a new one. The purpose of this study was the assessment of attitudes of the local community of areas under the administration of MM Municipality on PP in local planning and decision-making in order to influence future behaviours of the local community to take active part in local decision-making processes. The questionnaire was used as a research instrument for the local community of this Municipality. The research results showed that the local community of this area was generally aware of the need for their involvement in local decision-making, but they considered the municipality as the main responsibility for their involvement in this process. Keywords: Albania, local planning & decision-making, Malesia e Madhe Municipality, public participation.

scholarly journals Application of the watershed sustainability index in the Piranhas-Açu watershed

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 622-640
Author(s):  
D. D. Costa e Silva ◽  
H. M. L. Chaves ◽  
W. F. Curi ◽  
J. G. V. Baracuhy ◽  
T. P. S. Cunha
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Semi Arid Region ◽  
Brazilian Northeast

Abstract The current worldwide water resources issue is one of the crucial matters to overcome obstacles to sustainable development. This problem, formerly tackled in a sectored manner, is now pointing towards an analysis directed to treating the watershed as a management unit, with regards to all dimensions of knowledge and, especially, to the public participation in the decision-making processes. As an alternative to measure its performance, it has been sought out to develop indexes aimed to measure its sustainability, but there is still a lack of the use of composed efficient methodologies that also enable public participation in decision-making. This research presents a methodology comprising 15 indexes for the calculation of the Watershed Sustainability Index (WSI), followed by the application of the PROMETHEE multi-criteria analysis method and the COPELAND multi-decision-maker method. The methodology was applied to evaluate the performance of subwatersheds of the Piranhas-Açu watershed, located in the Brazilian northeast semi-arid region. The performance ordering, obtained through the application of the methods, emphasizes that subwatersheds' performances are uneven. It can be noticed that the subwatersheds' performances are still far from ideal in relation to water resources management, even in the ones that displayed satisfactory index levels.

The Veil of Bureaucracy: How Officials Evade Partisan Politics in Participatory Settings

2021 ◽  
pp. 232949652110288
Author(s):  
Meaghan Stiman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Partisan Politics ◽  
Community Voice ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Veil ◽  
Local Decision Making ◽  
Do So

In theory, participatory democracies are thought to empower citizens in local decision-making processes. However, in practice, community voice is rarely representative, and even in cases of equal representation, citizens are often disempowered through bureaucratic processes. Drawing on the case of a firearm discharge debate from a rural county’s municipal meetings in Virginia, I extend research about how power operates in participatory settings. Partisan political ideology fueled the debate amongst constituents in expected ways, wherein citizens engaged collectivist and individualist frames to sway the county municipal board ( Celinska 2007 ). However, it was a third frame that ultimately explains the ordinance’s repeal: the bureaucratic frame, an ideological orientation to participatory processes that defers decision-making to disembodied abstract rules and procedures. This frame derives its power from its depoliticization potential, allowing bureaucrats to evade contentious political debates. Whoever is best able to wield this frame not only depoliticizes the debate to gain rationalized legitimacy but can do so in such a way to favor a partisan agenda. This study advances gun research and participatory democracy research by analyzing how the bureaucratic frame, which veils partisanship, offers an alternative political possibility for elected officials, community leaders, and citizens to adjudicate partisan debates.

scholarly journals The Role of Public Participation in Governance towards Achieving Sustainable Development. Part 1

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-404
Author(s):  
Maurice S. Nyarangaa ◽  
Chen Hao ◽  
Duncan O. Hongo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Political Class ◽  
The Public ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Government

Public participation aimed at improving the effectiveness of governance by involving citizens in governance policy formulation and decision-making processes. It was designed to promote transparency, accountability and effectiveness of any modern government. Although Kenya has legally adopted public participation in day-to-day government activities, challenges still cripple its effectiveness as documented by several scholars. Instead of reducing conflicts between the government and the public, it has heightened witnessing so many petitions of government missing on priorities in terms of development and government policies. Results show that participation weakly relates with governance hence frictions sustainable development. Theoretically, public participation influences governance efficiency and development, directly and indirectly, thus sustainable development policy and implementation depends on Public participation and good governance. However, an effective public participation in governance is has been fractioned by the government. Instead of being a promoter/sponsor of public participation, the government of Kenya has failed to put structures that would spur participation of citizens in policy making and other days to activities. This has brought about wrong priority setting and misappropriation of public resources; The government officials and political class interference ultimately limit public opinion and input effects on decision-making and policy formulation, which might be an inner factor determining the failure of public participation in Kenya. The study suggests the need for strengthening public participation by establishing an independent institution to preside over public participation processes.

COASTAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK TO ANALYZE LOCAL DECISION MAKING AND ADAPTATION TO SEA-LEVEL RISE IN SANTOS, SAO PAULO-BRAZIL

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A Marengo ◽  
Jose A Marengo ◽  
Luci H. Nunes ◽  
Luci H. Nunes ◽  
Celia R.G. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Coastal City ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Local Decision Making

The METROPOLE Project is an international collaboration between Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the United States designed to evaluate local decision making processes and to provide feedback to local urban managers on possible actions toward adaption to sea level rise (SLR). The goal of the project is to help coastal communities better understand factors that facilitate or hinder their intrinsic, local decision-making processes related to planning for adaptation to risk. The test used case sea level rise to develop case studies on long-term planning by local government and society as a means to gauge the of municipalities in different settings to address possible future risks. The framework was designed by an interdisciplinary team that incorporated social and natural scientists from these three nations, and which included local government officials. This paper focuses on some of the factors that affect decision-making in the coastal city of Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, and provides insight on possible actions that a coastal city, such as Santos, can do to prepare for impacts of SLR.

scholarly journals Reconsidering Rationales for Local Self-Government - Impacts of Contemporary Changes in Local Decision-Making

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-113
Author(s):  
Rolv Lyngstad
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Informal Governance ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Policy Fields ◽  
Local Decision Making ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
Developmental Policies

This paper discusses two contemporary trends in local decision-making. Firstly, there seems to be more centralised decision-making today than before in important policy fields such as welfare policy. Secondly, informal governance processes outside formal government structures open up for a substantial influence from non-elected political actors. The paper asserts that there is a connection between the trends, and argues that the centralisation tendencies in welfare issues might affect and encourage governance processes in other local policy arenas. These policy fields are mainly within the so-called ‘developmental policies’ that often facilitate more networking and partnership activities in ‘grey areas’ between the public, private and civil sectors in collective problem solving. Accordingly, more attention should be given to policy fields where governance networks operate, and the implications for revitalising democratic political participation should be studied. The paper concludes that the well-established rationales for local self-government and local democracy need to be reconsidered by taking into account these new decision-making structures.

The Principle of Participation

2019 ◽  
pp. 129-140
Author(s):  
Henk Addink
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Public ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Collective Process ◽  
Participation Process ◽  
Degree Of Participation ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Participation is the active involvement of a group of individuals in a collective process on actual or intended actions of administrative authorities. Participation can refer to taking part in preliminary arrangements, influencing decision-makers, or taking part in actual decision-making processes. But participation can also be justified from the point of view of a sensible government finding out potential flaws and realizing ownership. The term ‘public participation’ presumes that the initiative and procedures are in the hands of citizens, the participation process is generally managed by public entities. The participation principle can be also about participation as a right, and the question of what consequences are there for the direct and guiding function of the administration. Participation is important under the democratic rule of law as well. Public participation can be motivated by democratic, constitutional, corporatist, or administrative motives. While the distinction between these motives for participation is not always unequivocal, these do offer an indication of the various perspectives—and consequently motives—of the parties involved in public participation. With regards to participation, a distinction can be made between the type and the level of participation achieved, ie form and degree of participation. Forms of participation are popular initiatives, the citizen’s panel, the referendum, and the community level forms. The degree of participation is quantified by using indicators, including the number of individuals, the time invested in and the frequency of participation, the involvement of individuals, the extent of influence on the process with respect to the issues addressed by the public authority and the level of participation that citizens are entitled to. Citizens could play different roles, for example one of co-decision-making, co-producing, counselling, consultation, or of distributing information.

COASTAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK TO ANALYZE LOCAL DECISION MAKING AND ADAPTATION TO SEA-LEVEL RISE IN SANTOS, SAO PAULO-BRAZIL

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A Marengo ◽  
Jose A Marengo ◽  
Luci H. Nunes ◽  
Luci H. Nunes ◽  
Celia R.G. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Coastal City ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Local Decision Making

The METROPOLE Project is an international collaboration between Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the United States designed to evaluate local decision making processes and to provide feedback to local urban managers on possible actions toward adaption to sea level rise (SLR). The goal of the project is to help coastal communities better understand factors that facilitate or hinder their intrinsic, local decision-making processes related to planning for adaptation to risk. The test used case sea level rise to develop case studies on long-term planning by local government and society as a means to gauge the of municipalities in different settings to address possible future risks. The framework was designed by an interdisciplinary team that incorporated social and natural scientists from these three nations, and which included local government officials. This paper focuses on some of the factors that affect decision-making in the coastal city of Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, and provides insight on possible actions that a coastal city, such as Santos, can do to prepare for impacts of SLR.

scholarly journals Public Administration Transparency in E-government at Local Level of Czech Government

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
pp. 24-33
Author(s):  
Eva Ardielli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Availability ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Local Decision Making

Transparency is currently required as an essential element of public administration functioning. It supports quality, effectiveness and economy of administration both at the central and the local level of government. Transparency is currently also supported by modernization trends in public administration utilizing an implementation of information technologies and open access to information. The key role in the modernization efforts of public administration plays worldwide e-government. It is the effective tool to transform the public administration and public services towards greater transparency, information availability and participation in decision-making process. The submitted paper is focused on the analysis of transparency principle application on the local level of government in the Czech Republic. It is based on the evaluation of transparency in local decision-making, information availability and participation possibility. The availability of selected information was analyzed on selected local municipal websites in the Moravian-Silesian region in the year 2014. The target is the assessing of information disclosure on official municipal websites, especially offering and availability evaluation of selected information and the evaluation of the rate of information availability on monitored municipal websites.

scholarly journals Confronting Complex Accountability in Conservation With Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Crosman ◽  
Gerald G. Singh ◽  
Sabine Lang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Local Involvement ◽  
Local Decision Making ◽  
Conservation Organizations

Increasingly, conservation organizations are conducting conservation activities with local communities. Many conservation organizations now position their work as contributing to sustainable development initiatives, and local involvement in conservation is understood to increase conservation and sustainability success. Aside from communities, however, conservation organizations are accountable to funders and partners, and values and priorities vary across actor type. Mismatched goals combine with power imbalances between conservation actors, and create decision-making conflict throughout conservation processes, from objective setting through implementation and evaluation. As a result, communities may lose local decision-making power or face new negative consequences, trust in organizational/community partnerships may be undermined, and conservation organizations’ reputations (and the reputation of the sector as whole) may suffer. In this commentary we point out processes and conditions that can lead conservation organizations to privilege accountability to funders and others over accountability to communities, thereby undermining community-level success. We follow with suggestions for how funders, conservation organizations and others may improve community engagement and community-level outcomes, and improve their reputations in general and in their work with communities, by actively leveraging accountability to the community and involving local community members in decision-making.

Does e-participation Influence and Improve Political Decision Making Processes? Evidence From a Local Government

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángel Iglesias Alonso ◽  
Roberto Luciano Barbeito
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large City ◽  
City Government ◽  
Local Democracy ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Local Decision Making

In Local Governments, the quality of representative democracy is also measured by the extent to which demands of citizens and groups influence the agendas of local politicians. In this context, the potential of Internet and the NIT as tools that encourage participation, exchange and deliberation, have not been fully explored by either the local elites or the citizens to foster the discursive and decision-making dimensions of local democracy. But despite the growing importance of e-participation in improving local democracy, it remains unclear to what extent it also contributes to the introduction of new repertoires of action to improve efficiency and quality of local public service provision and, therefore, involving citizens meaningfully in the decision-making process continues to be a challenge. With this in mind and using recent empirical evidence from the current development of e-participation to improve administrative performance in a large city government, intended to enhance not only local democracy but also better decision-making, the paper focus on this gap on research by exploring to what extent e-participation contributes to foster, influence and improve local decision-making.

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