Power, Participation and Political Renewal: Case Studies in Public ParticipationPublic participation is central to a wide range of current public policies - not only in the UK, but elsewhere in the developed and the developing world. There are substantial aspirations for what enhanced participation can achieve. This book offers a critical examination of both the discourse and practice of participation in order to understand the significance of this explosion in participatory forums, and the extent to which such practices represent a fundamental change in governance. Based on 17 case studies across a range of policy areas in two English cities, the authors address key issues such as: the way in which notions of the public are constructed; the motivation of participants; how the interests and identities of officials and citizens are negotiated within forums; and the ways in which institutions enable and constrain the development of participation initiatives. Much of the literature on public participation is highly normative. This book draws from detailed empirical work, theories of governance, of deliberative democracy and social movements to offer a nuanced account of the dynamics of participation and to suggest why experiences of this can be frustrating as well as transformative. This book will be essential reading for students of public and social policy and offers important insights for those directly engaged in developing participation initiatives across the public sector |
Contents
three Inclusive democracy and social movements | 33 |
public bodies and their publics | 53 |
five Reforming services | 71 |
six Neighbourhood and community governance | 99 |
seven Responding to a differentiated public | 135 |
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Common terms and phrases
active activists Age Concern agenda area committee argued authority capacity challenge collective identity communitarianism Community Empowerment Network community health forum concerned constituted consultation consumerism consumerist context councillors decision deliberation deliberative democracy deliberative forums democratic dialogue disabled discourse discussed in Chapter empowered public empowerment enable engagement ethic of care evidence example experience focus forms forum members fuel poverty group gay forum governance health service identified important individuals institutional interaction interests involved issues Labour legitimacy lesbian lesbian and gay meetings MEGC membership minority ethnic movement literature negotiation neighbourhood networks officials organisations particular partnership perspective political post-structural Power Inquiry practice professional programme public bodies public participation initiatives public policy public services recognised relation relationships representation representative democracy residents role rules and norms senior citizens social capital social exclusion social movements spaces stakeholder public strategy studies suggests Sure sustainability forum voice voluntary young youth forum