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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
A new book – “Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation: A Critical Review of Formats for Deliberative Policymaking” – explores the role of professionally organised and fair public participation processes in supporting democracy and the development of effective environmental policy. The anthology includes contributions from leading experts from around the world and highlights the advantages and limitations of different formats for public participation in policymaking.
Edited by Ortwin Renn (RIFS), Thomas Webler (Social and Environmental Research Institute, USA) and Pia-Johanna Schweizer (RIFS), this collection is a new and revised edition of "Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation: Evaluating Models for Environmental Discourse", published in 1995 and edited by Ortwin Renn, Thomas Webler and Peter Wiedemann. Citizen participation theory and practice have evolved significantly since then. Thirty years ago, deliberative citizen participation was largely a theoretical concept. Today, processes once considered innovative are now commonplace, particularly in environmental policy.
This success, however, necessitates a systematic analysis of these new instruments for democratic deliberation. Each format is thoroughly evaluated, highlighting both its pros and cons. By offering this balanced perspective, the book aims to help practitioners apply these formats effectively, avoid potential pitfalls, and ensure successful implementation.
A total of eight particularly popular formats of deliberative citizen participation are covered: Citizens' juries, decision theatres (computer-aided, dialogue-based decision-making processes), online deliberation, consensus conferences, deliberative opinion polls, mediation processes, citizens' assemblies (citizens' forums, mini-publics) and multi-stakeholder platforms (round tables). The book also includes two chapters on the conceptual categorisation of participation as an element of democracy and political culture, and concludes with an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of all the formats covered.
In the final chapter, the editors derive eight key lessons from the comparative analysis of the formats presented in the book:
1. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for public participation. All formats come with both strengths and weaknesses. Often, a combination of different formats is required to ensure fair and effective engagement with complex problems.
2. While representative participation is important, diversity and equitable involvement of those affected are equally crucial in shaping their communities.
3. Participation is ineffective if outcomes are not taken up by relevant decision-making bodies or if they are merely acknowledged superficially.
4. While digital tools hold great promise, they also risk exacerbating exclusion and undermining transparency.
5. High-quality deliberation requires a fair and transparent participant selection process, and skilled professional moderation capable of balancing and appropriately integrating the diverse forms of knowledge and arguments presented.
6. Formats must be customised for each individual case. The context, the issue at hand, and the goals of the participation process are key considerations when choosing and combining formats.
7. Random selection of participants, while improving fairness, can inadvertently exclude those who are most marginalized or underrepresented in society. To ensure these individuals are heard, special formats that specifically target these groups, such as focus groups, are recommended.
8. Deliberative processes, used to support rather than replace democratic decision-making, offer a promising path to align governance with societal values, interests, and preferences, and thereby strengthen both democratic principles and practice.
“Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation” is intended for researchers, practitioners, and representatives of administrations, public and private institutions, and non-governmental organizations who are seeking a scientifically sound and practically proven guide to selecting and designing participation formats.
Dr. Pia-Johanna Schweizer
pia-johanna.schweizer@rifs-potsdam.de
Schweizer, P.-J., Renn, O., & Webler, T. (2025). Conclusions and Outlook. In Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation: A Critical Review of Formats for Deliberative Policymaking (pp. 367-389). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. doi:10.1007/978-3-032-02302-5_21.
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists, Scientists and scholars
Environment / ecology, Politics, Social studies
transregional, national
Transfer of Science or Research
English
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