There has been an increased interest in public participation for environmental decision making. Public participation around the world has been part of a wide range of environmental applications (Luyet, Schlaepfer, Parlange and Buttler, 2012). Public participation is a fundamental component of the environmental impact assessment process. EIA is not seen to be whole without public consultation and participation (Hartley and Wood, 2005). DEA & DP, 2011 states that the general objectives of integrated environmental management as described in the NEMA, calls for “adequate and appropriate opportunity for public participation in decisions that may affect the environment”. Further the National Environmental Management Principles include the principle …show more content…
2.2.2 Benefits of public participation Public participation has several benefits for environmental decision making in programmes, plans, projects etcetera. The benefits are summarised as follows: 1. Normative/ Democratic. People have a right to be informed about potential decisions that may affect them and to be afforded an opportunity to influence those decisions (DEA, 2010). Public participation contributes towards a vibrant healthy democracy. 2. Legitimacy. Legitimacy of a decision making due to a transparent public participation process can be viewed as an honest reflection of the Government’s desire to take decisions that are acceptable to a wide range of population groups (Salomons and Hoberg, 2014). 3. Influencing Decision. Public participation enable those that are affected by a decision to influence it ( Glucker, Driessen, Kolhoff and Runhaar, 2013). 4. Empowerment. Public participation is seen as a forum for skills transfer thus enabling the beneficiaries to participate meaningfully in the development process (Hofisi, …show more content…
Some of the factors that can hinder effective public participation are discussed below: Jami and Walsh (2014) argues that public participation is time consuming and if poorly managed, public participation process can result in the loss of a public official’s credibility. Those who can afford the time and resources to participate can bias decisions. Salomons and Hoberg (2014) argues that restricting public participation to directly affected stakeholders establishes a particular representative bias to the process. While Drazkiewicz et al., 2015 argues that involvement of a larger number of participants during the public participation process can render the decision-making process complex and thus hinder grounds for agreement, problem solving and implementation. Political interference where the Government of the day pushes for its agenda during public participation process leads to less credible decision making. Implementation of the project is compromised and thus not easily accepted by those affected (Jami and Walsh, 2014). Below is an overview of the public participation process from a South African
Some would say that it presents as an absence of commitment to the influence of citizen’s although it becomes difficult to conceptualize the engagement of citizens as the basis for new or changing policy. Is the average citizen equipped with the knowledge to assess any and all governmental issues equally? Is personal opinion, without grounded bearings of evidence, enough? Can contingencies be placed upon the desire to strengthen citizen participation in public policy-making? The questions are endless, and even yet the Woodford and Preston note “statutory requirements for citizens input ‘would not necessarily mean that citizen engagement is accessible and done particularly well’” (356). The inclusion and weight of citizen input is necessary, although to what degree remains un-established.
...ions may be presented to stakeholders. Benefits of thick participation would include its higher success rate and diversity of opinions; however, thick participation is also the most time and labor intensive. Concerned Detroit citizens could also engage in thin participation. Opportunities could include signing petitions to institute arts programs, supporting school levies, etc. Thin engagement is an easy way to make a difference on an individual level; however, the collective impact is limited.
During the course of this book, Panagopoulos and Weinschenk discuss the election system that exists in the United States today, including such topics as the roles of money, political parties, media, and special interest groups. While exploring what went wrong and why, the authors maintain that these problems have solutions and those solutions are within the existing institutions and systems. After careful analysis, Panagopoulos and Weinschenk determined that the root of these problems is found in the level of citizen participation, or the lack of participation, in the election process. Some citizens are involved at a deeper level by working on campaigns and seeking out opposing opinions while others simply follow the party line and vote
A process highlighting the broad participation of voters in the direction and operation of political systems.
One of the problems today is that America’s distrust for their leaders because they view them as ineffectual and removed. There is a need in America to democratize the public planning process and decision-making process. Many times projects, developments, and policy decisions are made without significant public input and participation. This often leads to m...
ability of the public to exercise that right. We will make an exploration of the unintended
This theory is democratic only so long as it accepts the primacy of public interest in policy-making. But it is undemocratic in practice because it sets aside the democratic procedure (14).
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) entails a multifaceted appraisement of the possible aftermath caused by a project or action on the surrounding man-made and natural environment (Wood, 2003). This systematic process requires the involvement of all interested stakeholders in the process and the public, in order to achieve a widespread consent on the planned project and mitigation strategies proposed [European Commission (EC), 2014].
5. Drawing on the pool of domestic political events that have taken place over the past year (> February 2017), select an issue related to the provision of a public good and critically assess it as a collective action problem. If the problem was overcome, how was it overcome? If it was not overcome, why was it not, and how might it be?
The development of environmental regimes involves a five-fold process. The first process is the agenda setting and issue definition stage, which identifies and brings attention to an issue to the international community. Secon...
O’Faircheallaigh, C., 2010. Public participation and environmental impact assessment: purposes, implications, and lessons for public policy making. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 30 (1),
...f of the CZMU. Although the CZMU’s mandate is to address coastal management with an integrated approach, it is worth questioning whether all interests are accounted for equitably? Barbados’ urban planning strategies employ the top-down approach and the department is reputed for pursuing economically profitable projects. To have both the CZMU and the Town and Country Planning department engaging in public participation consultation would be favourable to pursuing environmental policy in tandem with socio-economic equity.
...r all the decision. Reconciliation of interest, resolving personal conflicts, mutual support and information sharing will require the development of transparent and inclusive process. The agreement among all the stakeholders will help in building the proper policies and regulation with the interest of social and environmental issues.
In true democracy, there is no doubt that voices will rise against the ideas for public participation. Over the past years, certain visible feature relating to public participation and the increase and there had been a rise on the decision making process where citizens get involved. The public participation in the policy process, to truly implement the principles of democracy of the public process should aim to be rational and fair to achieve effectiveness.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to a tool that assists in limiting the potential environmental damage of various developments that are undertaken in an area (Handley & Handley, 2001). Other researchers and scholars consider EIA as a key aspect of many large-scale planning applications; whereby, the EIA is used as the technique that help developers understand the potential environmental impacts of any major development proposal (Wathern, 1988). EIA entails information gathering practice that is carried out by both the developer and other relevant bodies to enable the Local Planning Authority appreciate the potential environmental effects of any form of development before giving directions on its commencement or stoppage (Dougherty & Hall, 1995; Wathern, 1988). Therefore, EIA can simply be described as the scientific and public consultation process that helps identify the potential impacts of any proposed project on the environment; that is, the biophysical component of the physical environment.