Participatory Decision Making

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AbstractIn line with a broader ‘participatory turn’, the collective elaboration of city development strategies (CDSs) has become a leitmotiv in urban development planning, promising to deliver on both democracy-deepening and pro-poor concerns. Yet, this promise reposes on somewhat shaky grounds: much depends on the broader political opportunity structures within which CDSs are attempted. Using Johannesburg's recent experiment with city-wide strategic planning as a case study, this article explores the complex interplay between participatory processes and the broader political machinery of governance. In the messy terrain of late 1990s transition politics, Johannesburg's CDS can be read rather more as an instrument of the ruling ANC party's consolidation of power over the city, than as a ‘genuine’ attempt at collective strategic planning. However, this usurpation of participatory ideals did not entail the demise of equitable or even pro-poor concerns: more formal processes of participation, such as electoral representation and bureaucratic power, ensured the continued meshing of developmental concerns alongside growth imperatives at the heart of the CDS. The ambiguous relationship between newly entrenched routine participatory processes and the most recent — and arguably more equitable — review of the CDS, meanwhile, raises further questions about the actual function of participatory processes in urban governance.In line with a broader ‘participatory turn’, the collective elaboration of city development strategies (CDSs) has become a leitmotiv in urban development planning, promising to deliver on both democracy-deepening and pro-poor concerns. Yet, this promise reposes on somewhat shaky grounds: much depends on the broader political opportunity structures within which CDSs are attempted. Using Johannesburg's recent experiment with city-wide strategic planning as a case study, this article explores the complex interplay between participatory processes and the broader political machinery of governance. In the messy terrain of late 1990s transition politics, Johannesburg's CDS can be read rather more as an instrument of the ruling ANC party's consolidation of power over the city, than as a ‘genuine’ attempt at collective strategic planning. However, this usurpation of participatory ideals did not entail the demise of equitable or even pro-poor concerns: more formal processes of participation, such as electoral representation and bureaucratic power, ensured the continued meshing of developmental concerns alongside growth imperatives at the heart of the CDS. The ambiguous relationship between newly entrenched routine participatory processes and the most recent — and arguably more equitable — review of the CDS, meanwhile, raises further questions about the actual function of participatory processes in urban governance.RésuméParallèlement à un ‘virage participatif’ plus large, l'élaboration collective de stratégies de développement urbain (CDS) est devenue une figure imposée de la planification du développement urbain, tenue d'agir en faveur du renforcement démocratique et des pauvres. Pourtant, cette promesse repose sur des bases plutôt instables : en effet, beaucoup dépend des structures d'opportunités politiques dans lesquelles sont lancés les projets CDS. En prenant comme étude de cas l'expérience récente de Johannesburg en matière de planification stratégique urbaine, l'article explore l'interaction complexe entre les processus participatifs et la machinerie politique générale de la gouvernance. Sur le terrain embrouillé des politiques de transition de la fin des années 1990, les CDS se sont révélés être davantage un instrument de consolidation de l'emprise de l'ANC (parti au pouvoir) sur la ville, qu'une ‘véritable’ tentative de planification stratégique collective. Toutefois, cette usurpation des idéaux participatifs n'a pas mis fin aux intérêts pour l'équité ou en faveur des pauvres : des processus de participation plus formels (comme la représentation électorale ou la bureaucratie) ont garanti un tissage permanent des questions de développement aux côtés des impératifs de croissance, au centre des CDS. Pendant ce temps, la relation ambiguë entre les processus participatifs courants établis depuis peu, et le bilan le plus récent — voir plus équitable — des CDS, soulève des questions supplémentaires sur la fonction effective des processus participatifs dans la gouvernance urbaine.Parallèlement à un ‘virage participatif’ plus large, l'élaboration collective de stratégies de développement urbain (CDS) est devenue une figure imposée de la planification du développement urbain, tenue d'agir en faveur du renforcement démocratique et des pauvres. Pourtant, cette promesse repose sur des bases plutôt instables : en effet, beaucoup dépend des structures d'opportunités politiques dans lesquelles sont lancés les projets CDS. En prenant comme étude de cas l'expérience récente de Johannesburg en matière de planification stratégique urbaine, l'article explore l'interaction complexe entre les processus participatifs et la machinerie politique générale de la gouvernance. Sur le terrain embrouillé des politiques de transition de la fin des années 1990, les CDS se sont révélés être davantage un instrument de consolidation de l'emprise de l'ANC (parti au pouvoir) sur la ville, qu'une ‘véritable’ tentative de planification stratégique collective. Toutefois, cette usurpation des idéaux participatifs n'a pas mis fin aux intérêts pour l'équité ou en faveur des pauvres : des processus de participation plus formels (comme la représentation électorale ou la bureaucratie) ont garanti un tissage permanent des questions de développement aux côtés des impératifs de croissance, au centre des CDS. Pendant ce temps, la relation ambiguë entre les processus participatifs courants établis depuis peu, et le bilan le plus récent — voir plus équitable — des CDS, soulève des questions supplémentaires sur la fonction effective des processus participatifs dans la gouvernance urbaine.

Within emerging environmental conflicts, different participatory processes have developed as alternatives to the top-down models that have dominated policy-making. In this paper, we focus on conflicts over the expansion of soy production. We analyze three issues related to top-down vs. bottom-up participatory processes and how they affect the proposals coming out of these processes: who counts as stakeholder (the role of social movements), what counts as participation (the role of mobilization), and who has power to select stakeholders and issues, make decisions, and influence preferences. To explore these issues, we present a case study of two parallel participatory processes in rural areas of Paraguay and Argentina. One of these, the Roundtable on Responsible Soy, is top-down, created by large agri-business multinationals and international conservation NGOs with the support of the governments in the region, and has focused on establishing criteria for “responsible soy”. The other is bottom-up, self-organized by peasant and civil society organizations, and focused on stopping soy expansion and promoting food sovereignty. The findings highlight the potential of bottom-up processes to promote true agricultural sustainability while at the same time emphasizing the need for more research on grassroots participatory processes and their potential and limitations in different contexts.

Participatory Budgeting has by now been widely discussed, and often celebrated, now instituted in at least 1,500 cities worldwide.  Some of its central features - its structure of open meetings, its yearly cycle, and its combination of deliberation and representation are by now well-known.  In this paper, however, we critically reflect on its global travel and argue for more careful consideration of some of its less well-known features, namely, the coupling of the budgeting meetings with the exercise of power.  We disaggregate PB into its communicative and empowerment dimensions and argue that its empowerment dimensions have usually not been part of its global expansion and this is cause for concern from the point of view of emancipation.  In this paper we thus discuss the specific institutional reforms associated with empowerment in the original version as well as its analytic dimensions.  We also address some of the specific dangers of a communication-only version of PB as well as some suggestions for reintroducing empowerment.

""Intentional communities realize the needs of people with a common social orientation and a common vision for living together in a community with a high degree of social interaction and active direct participation of the individuals in decision-making. This paper examines in general the phenomenon of intentional communities and focuses on two case studies (Christiania -  UfaFabrik)  which have played a significant role in the urban life of the cities they belong  (Copenhagen - Berlin). In these western modern capitals, the need for sustainable-environmental balanced development, for fleeing the impersonal and individualistic way of life and for freelance work is particularly strong. Particularly interesting is the fact that these communities are part of the urban space; therefore, there is a particular interaction with local societies. Emphasis is being laid on communities’ negotiations with the government and local authorities as well as on their institutional framework. As both communities show an intense ecological orientation, the means that are mobilized to this direction as well as the governing system of the above communities based on self administration processes, are thoroughly examined.

Keywords: Sustainability, urban environment, utopia, intentional communities, Christiania, UfaFabrik
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"This research was commissioned by the City of Melbourne to enable the city’s own efforts to develop a digital engagement model. This initial report, conducted over 8 weeks, represents a key piece of a broader effort to develop a proactive, coordinated, whole-of-organisation approach.
The project was conducted by Melbourne-based firm Collabforge, in partnership with the RMIT School of Media and Communication."