Prezentare1 Kristine

8/12/2019 Prezentare1 Kristine

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WWW PARTICIPATORY

APPROACH(What, Why, Who)

Which of these images makes you

think of participation?

Or these?


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Frustrations with existing development

pathways and approaches

Development approaches perceived as contributing to improved

wellbeing for some, but perpetuating injustice, poverty,marginalisation and lack of voice for millions of others

Perceived failure of economic growth models to bring benefits to the

majority

Emergence of a knowledge society determined and supported by

assymetrical power relations

Emerging vision of a world where rights of all people are assured -

civil, political, social, and rights to action citizenship engaged in

participatory and deliberative democracy

What do we mean by participatory

development?(1)

No one definition, but in general:

Seen as a bottom-up, people-centred approachaimed at developing the full potentials ofpeople at the grassroots level, especially thepoor and marginal social groups, through theirfull participation in development efforts thatdirectly affect their lives

Belief in the value of participatory approachesin action and research,

Linking theory with practice and action with reflection,community members are recognised for their capabilities and

skills in producing unique and diverse knowledge of localconditions and promising outcomes from their actions

Starts from the premise that people know and are capable ofidentifying and sharing issues, analysing and learning from

that analysis, and developing strategies and action toaddress their situation

Participatory action research (PAR) - the process of collectivedata collection and analysis that leads to the identification,

design, implementation and evaluation of projects orprograms that address local problems - plays an importantrole in participatory development efforts.

What do we mean by participatory

development?(2)


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Participatory development

Seen as a way of addressing shortcomings ofdevelopment, as both means and end in itself

Very variable practice (ladders of participation)

Often reduced to methods rather than praxis(practice in theory, and theory in practice)

Shifts in understandings over time (beneficiaries tochoosers and users to makers and shapers

May still serve interests of powerful groups (problemof agency versus structure)

May offload state responsibility onto citizens

Needs to take power relations seriously

From tyranny to transformation?

So what is public

involvement/participation?

Both the definition and degree ofparticipation are directly

attached to

the concept of democracy - representative/participative,

citizenship

the role of the State - centralized/decentralized

the role of the local authorities

linked to the notion ofpower

Public involvement can be treated from three different

perspectives:

Democracy

Local development Management

A shift in focus on participation

over time

FROM:

beneficiary

Project

Consultation

needs appraisal

micro

TO:

citizen

policy

decision-making

program design, implementationand evaluation

macro


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Does participation support

community development?

Encapsulates aspirations and dilemmas of social democracy:

Commitment to deepening and extending democratic citizenshipRegulation of that process to politically acceptable limits

The paradox of participation (Meagher, 2006) a potential route for the

distribution of power or a means of giving a false impression of the

transfer of power?

Need for regulatory systems and bureaucracy can stifle and alienate

local forms of knowledge, aspirations and concerns

Democracy as an active social and political practice requiresengaged and active citizens who are informed, motivated and

confident to talk back to the state

Community participation is

complex in concept and in practice

Community can be the warmly persuasive word to describe an

existing set of relationships, or the warmly persuasive word to

describe an alternative set of relationships (Williams, 1976, p66)

Community - the individual as prior to all other forms of social life?

Or

Community rootedness, a sense of locality, identity, of interests,

fraternity and co-operation and a sense of identity communally

mediated? (Plant, 1974, p.29)

Individual freedom or the common good? Or something in the

middle?

Shifting ground of community

development

Concept has been around for a long time but highlycontested

Often seen as radical, relating to transformation and

empowermentBut also used to describe conservative, conformistpractices and dominance over the other

Communities are not homogeneous entities

Cannot escape from the tensions between agency andstructure

When do micro-politics (personal troubles) become macro-politics (public issues)?


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Public involvement and

democracy

Participation should empower people at the lower levels.

Participation, when seen as supervision and influence over authority,as well as helping authority solve social issues, is thus brought into

the foreground.

Local development, by definition, is based on the initiative and active

participation of citizens inhabiting a specific territory. I

Inhabitants are included into the decision-making process in order to

better recognize the needs andthe priorities of the community and to

increase the credibility of the institution in the citizens' eyes.

Finally, the role of participation is to increase the efficiency of the

undertaken activit ies and to bui ld a stronger social base for the

authority.

Why people should be involved

The main purpose of public participation is to improvedecision-making, by ensuring that decisions are

soundly based on evidence

influenced by the views and experience of those affected

by them

innovative and creative options are considered

new arrangements are workable and acceptable to the

public

everybody joining: be selective with actors, they should

reflect the right interest;

Why people should be involved

What public participation is NOT about

everybody joining: be selective with actors, they should

reflect the right interest;

everybody deciding: make clear what the responsibilities

are for whom;

losing control: do organize it well, clear and strategically

achieving consensus at all expenses: be prepared that the

outcome of public participation will be a compromise

between the wishes of several actors and that the extent of

the process is often limited by time or budget


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Key potential benefits that can result

from public participation

which are not mutually exclusive, are as follows:

increased public awareness of environmental issues as well as theenvironmental situation in the related areas

increased trust between parties involved in the process of remediation

use of knowledge, experience and initiatives of the different

stakeholders and thus improved quality of plans and management

of issues related to sustainable development

public acceptance, commitment and support with regard to decision

taking processes

more transparent and more creative decision making

less litigation, misunderstandings, fewer delays and more effective

implementation

social learning and experience

Some important principles for

participatory learning and action

A defined methodology and systemic learning process co-creation of

knowledge

Multiple perspectives are described and valued; reaching consensus is

not always necessary

Group learning processes vary, but are based on dialogue, and can

utilise different inputs

Context determines the approach no blueprint

Facilitation is key to the process

Change is a natural product of the research process; capacities may

need to be developed to undertake action as part of the learning

process

Power relationships are critical, and consciousness of these is vital

Who should be involved

Typical stakeholders types/classes include:

Professionals public and private sector organizations,

professional voluntary groups

professional NGOs, social, economic, environmentallocal authorities and government departments

statutory agencies

conservation groups

business, industry

insurance groups

academia


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The specific issue of non-organized

individual citizens

It is not a problem (usually) to involve organized citizens, e.g.

from political parties, associations, NGOs etc.It is much more difficult to address and to mobilize the

unorganized ordinary' citizens.

It can be also observed a category ofprofessional citizens who

participate in several processes at the same time and at

different scales, regional and local.

Paradoxically, the effort to integrate citizens into the decision-

making process and increase its legitimacy can miss its target.

In an open process every cit izen is invited to take part. It may

happen that unorganized persons participate that do not

represent group interests, but are very welcome in general.

Grundtvig Workshop Public Engagement in Management of Environmental Project

Rmnicu Vlcea 31 May 7 June 2011

Grundtvig Workshop Public Engagement in Management of Environmental Project

Rmnicu Vlcea 31 May 7 June 2011

Who should be involved


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Instruments of public participation - I

Local referendum

Joint planning

An advisory group is a collection of individuals who bring uniqueknowledge and skills which complement the knowledge and skills of the

authorities in order to more effectively govern the planning process.

Negotiation is most effective before polarization. It is specially useful in

informal situations to resolve differences among parties, avoid engaging a

broader group with local disputes, or address several aspects of a dispute

simultaneously.

Mediation has a special and distinctive use: it is generally employed when

a process has reached an impasse or major breakdown.

Arbitration is especially used for controversial or complex projects. Then a

third party, professional arbitrator is asked to hear the case from both

sides, make inquiries, and render a decision that may favor one side or the

other or some compromise

Instruments of public participation - II

Consultation Meetings, or the gatheringSpecific types of meetings: public hearing

workshop

retreat

open house is an informal setting in which people get information about a plan or

project

Citizens feedback

Information delivering information to citizens on future or ongoing

projects

It is difficult to produce a guide in which techniques are matched to

type of process.

The final choice will depend on a number of factors, including:the purpose of engagement legal requirements for engagement who is to be

engaged

the social environment in which engagement is being carried out (political, social,

cultural factors)

available resources such as money, time and skills

Some Steps For Initiating a

Participatory Process

Initial consultations

Capacity building &

organizing for the process

Preliminary visits &

building relationshipamong actors

Planning & publicizing the

process

Doing the PLA exercise-

data gathering, analysis &

synthesis

Drawing action plans &

proposals

Consolidating action plans

in to work plans or strategic

plans Resource mobilizing

for supporting the plans

Feed back &

implementation scheduling

Implementation

Participatory Monitoring continuous

Participatory Evaluation

periodic

Participatory Impact

Assessment


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Principles of effective engagement

INCLUSIVENESS

TRANSPARENCY, OPENNESS AND CLARITYINDEPENDENCE

COMMITMENT

ACCESSIBILITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

RESOURCING

PRODUCTIVITY

Challenges as you work in local

communities

What are optimal levels of participation for what purpose?

What form of participation in what context?

How to understand and take into account power relations?

How to link to, or combine with, other methodological

approaches?

How to avoid fake participation and to avoid co-option,

especially when scaling-up?

How to support people to participate in ways that will lead to

positive change?

Prezentare1 Kristine

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