Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

Public participation and policy: unpacking connections in one British LA21

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dc.creator Sharp, Liz
dc.date 2008-12-19T15:56:44Z
dc.date 2008-12-19T15:56:44Z
dc.date 2002
dc.identifier Sharp, L. (2002). Participation and Policy: unpacking connections in one UK LA21. Local Environment. Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 7-22(16).
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10454/1048
dc.description Yes
dc.description Within western cultures, the term `public participation¿ has strong positive connotations, and is associated with the promotion of democracy. The contention of this paper is that these invocations of democracy - although not entirely inaccurate - obscure the varied and tangible effects of public participation on wider policy processes. Drawing on Sharp and Connelly 2001, this paper argues that participation should not be analysed in terms of the type of democracy it invokes, but rather in terms of the extent and nature of its influence on the policy process. In particular, the policy process is examined for conflict between participants over (1) the extent of participation, (2) the nature of participation and (3) the influence of the participation, as well as (4) the outcomes to which it leads. This approach to the analysis of participation is demonstrated through a study of one element of participation in an authority¿s Local Agenda 21 process. The paper concludes that participation is inherently political and practitioners need to act strategically to manage participation in support of progressive agendas.
dc.language en
dc.relation http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/cloe/2002/00000007/00000001/art00002
dc.rights © 2002 Taylor & Francis: Routledge. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
dc.subject Public Participation
dc.subject Policy
dc.subject LA21
dc.title Public participation and policy: unpacking connections in one British LA21
dc.type Article


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