scholarly journals Assessing Citizen Participation in Public Processes: Making Visible the Ephemera of Decision-Making Talk

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Wegner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Meaningful Participation ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Citizen Group ◽  
Context Of Situation

This paper contributes to current research in communications, rhetoric, and discourse analysis that extends disciplinary interests into the study of citizen participation in public processes. The impetus for this study comes from the troubling consensus that many public decision-making processes tend to discourage authentic citizen participation. In order to investigate the degree to which citizen participation may be judged as authentic, talk analysis is applied to the interactions of a government-citizen group as they negotiate a policy for the management of natural areas.The investigation examines the interactive dimension of the context of situation, which offers evidence of participation that goes beyond evidence offered by texts alone. The hypothesis is that the contextual dimension of the participatory process should provide richer evidence of the interactive, moment-to-moment, strategic moves of participants. The theoretical framework for the study integrates the concepts of recontextualization and structure-in-action with recent developments in activity theory and theories of agency.The findings show that, in their meetings, participants agreed and disagreed as they worked toward a consensus on how to write policy clauses. Microanalyses of their talk show evidence of an interactive inclusiveness and meaningful participation that is not apparent in the textual dimension of the written statements the committee ultimately submitted. This method offers researchers in communications and language studies a way of expanding rhetorical analysis to include the interactive dimension of context in real-world processes of civic engagement.Key words: authentic participation, recontextualization, structure-in-action, agency, public processes, decision-making processes

scholarly journals Differentiating Participation: Identifying and Defining Civic Capacities Used by Latino Immigrants in Participatory Budgeting

2021 ◽  
pp. 153568412199347
Author(s):  
José W. Meléndez ◽  
Maria Martinez-Cosio
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Participatory Planning ◽  
Immigrant Community ◽  
Participatory Budgeting ◽  
Civic Discourse ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Civic Skills ◽  
Budgeting Process

Participatory planning has faced challenges engaging predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrants beyond the bottom rungs of Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation. Participating at any level of the ladder requires individual civic skills, or capacities, that are integral to participatory processes. However, the specific skills necessary for collective action are less certain, due in part to a lack of clear definitions and a lack of clarity about how these capacities work in practice. Drawing on two years of data from a participatory budgeting process in an immigrant community in Chicago, Illinois, the authors identify key civic capacities that Spanish-speaking immigrants activated while engaging in civic discourse, and they explore the role these capacities played in moving ideas toward collective decision making. The authors present an organizational schema that aligns the study’s findings of 17 unique civic capacities with capacities identified in the literature as helping participants engage more meaningfully in decision-making processes.

scholarly journals Affective Effect: Issue Engagement on a Youth E-Participation Platform

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Lampoltshammer ◽  
Qinfeng Zhu ◽  
Peter Parycek
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Common Type ◽  
System Level ◽  
Appraisal Theory ◽  
Economic Issues ◽  
Intelligence Theory ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Research Gap

While E-participation promotes citizen participation in democratic decision-making processes, and often takes place through deliberation, citizens are expected to be cool-headed individuals equipped with reason and logic, insulating their actions from the impulse of emotion. However, research in neuroscience and cognitive science has found that emotion plays a vital part in cognitive processing and is instrumental in decision-making. This study thus fills this research gap by examining the effect of emotions in eliciting participation on a youth E-participation platform. Following affective intelligence theory and appraisal theory, the authors specifically examined three types of emotions; namely, anger, anxiety, and sadness. By applying methods in the field of text and statistical analysis, the authors found that anxiety, although the least common type of emotion expressed on the E-participation platform, was associated with an increased level of engagement. On the contrary, anger dominated issue discussion across topics, and sadness prevailed in the discourse on system-level economic issues.

scholarly journals Pasteloza – refurbishing of the PPR heritage

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Sara Nikolić
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Geometric Figures ◽  
State Administration ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The City ◽  
Housing Estates

Abstract Colourful zigzags, arcade game motifs, geometric figures, pseudo-frames of windows and even infantile drawings of flora and fauna – those are just some of the visible symptoms of the aesthetical and urbanistic chaotic condition also known as Polish pasteloza. One of the most common readings is that the excuse of thermal insulation is being (ab)used in order to radically erase the urbanistic, cultural and political heritage of Polish People’s Republic (PPR) from the city landscape. On the other hand, inhabitants of ‘pastelized’ housing estates claim to be satisfied not only with the insulation but also with their role in decision-making processes. A sense of alienation from one’s home seems to have gone away, together with the centralized state administration, and it is being replaced by citizen participation. The possibility of vindication of pasteloza’s ‘crimes against aesthetics’ will be deliberated in this paper – in order to pave a path for more complex understanding of this phenomenon that could offer a solution for achieving a compromise between aesthetics and civic participation in post-transition processes.

scholarly journals Decision Biases and Heuristics Among Emergency Managers: Just Like the Public They Manage For?

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick S. Roberts ◽  
Kris Wernstedt
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Structured Decision Making ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Decision Biases ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Outcome Bias ◽  
Attribution Bias

We present evidence that emergency managers exhibit some of the same decision biases, sensitivity to framing, and heuristics found in studies of the general public, even when making decisions in their area of expertise. Our national survey of county-level emergency managers finds that managers appear more risk averse when the outcomes of actions are framed as gains than when equivalent outcomes are framed as losses, a finding that is consistent with prospect theory. We also find evidence that the perceived actions of emergency managers in neighboring jurisdictions affect the choices a manager makes. In addition, our managers show evidence of attribution bias, outcome bias, and difficulties processing numerical information, particularly probabilities compared to frequencies. Each of these departures from perfect rationality points to potential shortfalls in public managers’ decision making. We suggest opportunities to improve decision making through reframing problems, providing training in structured decision-making processes, and employing different choice architectures to nudge behavior in a beneficial direction.

Citizen Consultaions via Government Web Sites

2011 ◽  
pp. 163-168
Author(s):  
M. Holzer ◽  
R. W. Schwester
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Government Web Sites ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Traditional Structures

Cynicism toward government is largely a function of trust and social capital (Berman 1997; Putnam 2000). The relationship between government and its citizens has been strained. First, some citizens cynically feel as though government officials abuse their powers in the interest of self-aggrandizement; second, citizens often feel disconnected from government; third, government service delivery is frequently portrayed as inadequate. Administrative strategies to reverse these perceptions typically emphasize the benefits of government and improved service delivery. Some go further, offering individuals a means of influencing public policy and government decision-making, as opposed to traditional structures and cultures of policymaking that minimize citizen input. The Internet is a potentially powerful means for citizen consultation, and may help cultivate a governmental landscape in which information is more accessible, people feel more connected to government, and citizens are better able to participate in political and decision-making processes. This article examines the Internet as a consultative medium, whereby emphasis is placed on government efforts to use Web-based applications as a means of promoting meaningful citizen participation.

scholarly journals MULTIPLE CRITERIA DECISION MAKING (MCDM) METHODS IN ECONOMICS: AN OVERVIEW / DAUGIATIKSLIAI SPRENDIMŲ PRIĖMIMO METODAI EKONOMIKOJE: APŽVALGA

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas ◽  
Zenonas Turskis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Multiple Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Problem Situations ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Effective Decision Making

The main research activities in economics during the last five years have significantly increased. The main research fields are operation research and sustainable development. The philosophy of decision making in economics is to assess and select the most preferable solution, implement it and to gain the biggest profit. Preferences are used in a lot of problem situations both in individual and organizational decision making processes. A number of effective decision making methods that support decisions under conditions of multiple criteria have appeared in the last decade. This paper presents a panorama of decision making methods in economics and summarizes the most important results and applications over the last five years. This paper considers decision making in light of the recent developments of multiple criteria decision making methods (because classical methods are overviewed in a lot of earlier publications). Authors of different approaches, pioneering studies and works are presented in short. Santrauka Priimant ekonominius sprendimus pagrindinis tikslais gali būti: įvertinti tikslingas altrenatyvas, parinkti geriausią alternatyvą, įgyvendinti parinktą sprendimą ir gauti didžiausią naudą. Sprendimus gali parinkti tiek atskiri veikėjai tiek ir veikėjų grupės. Vertinamų sprendimų pasekmės įtakoja tiek sprendėjų tiek ir visuomenės poreikius. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiama sprendimų priėmimo metodų, kuriuos galima taikyti ekonomikoje, apžvalga. Straipnyje pateikiama paskutinių penkerių metų svarbiausių tyrimų apžvalga. Taip pat pristatyti populiariausių daugiatikslių sprendimų priėmimo metodų, kurie taikomi ir kuriuos galima taikyti priimant sprendimus ekonomikoje, autoriai.

Citizen Consultaions via Government Web Sites

2011 ◽  
pp. 2867-2874
Author(s):  
Mark Holzer ◽  
Richard W. Schwester
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Government Web Sites ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Traditional Structures

Cynicism toward government is largely a function of trust and social capital (Berman 1997; Putnam 2000). The relationship between government and its citizens has been strained. First, some citizens cynically feel as though government officials abuse their powers in the interest of self-aggrandizement; second, citizens often feel disconnected from government; third, government service delivery is frequently portrayed as inadequate. Administrative strategies to reverse these perceptions typically emphasize the benefits of government and improved service delivery. Some go further, offering individuals a means of influencing public policy and government decision-making, as opposed to traditional structures and cultures of policymaking that minimize citizen input. The Internet is a potentially powerful means for citizen consultation, and may help cultivate a governmental landscape in which information is more accessible, people feel more connected to government, and citizens are better able to participate in political and decision-making processes. This article examines the Internet as a consultative medium, whereby emphasis is placed on government efforts to use Web-based applications as a means of promoting meaningful citizen participation.

Participation of People With Disabilities in the Decision-Making Process in Nepal

2022 ◽  
pp. 242-263
Author(s):  
Obindra B. Chand ◽  
Sudeep Uprety
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Meaningful Participation ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Municipal Level

Despite the significant social and political changes over the last five decades in Nepal, persons with disabilities (PwDs) still face challenges in their everyday lives. Lack of meaningful participation of PwDs in leadership and decision-making processes, social stigma, discrimination, and inaccessible physical facilities have excluded PwDs from freely exercising fundamental rights such as voting. Mass media and civil society occasionally raise issues and problems faced by PwDs. Equally, the dearth of data regarding disability has created further challenges to policymakers and planners to understand the diversity of PwD issues at large. Based on a qualitative study, this chapter aims to explore the participation of PwDs particularly in the different phases of policy formulation (such as consultation and participation) at the municipal level and calls for crucial actions for ensuring meaningful participation of PwDs in democratic processes in Nepal in the current federal context.

scholarly journals The Birth of the CrowdLaw Movement: Tech-Based Citizen Participation, Legitimacy and the Quality of Lawmaking

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victòria Alsina ◽  
José Luis Martí
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Exact Role ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
Public Decision ◽  
Public Decision Making

Abstract One of the most urgent debates of our time is about the exact role that new technologies can and should play in our societies and particularly in our public decision-making processes. This paper is a first attempt to introduce the idea of CrowdLaw, defined as online public participation leveraging new technologies to tap into diverse sources of information, judgments and expertise at each stage of the law and policymaking cycle to improve the quality as well as the legitimacy of the resulting laws and policies. First, we explain why CrowdLaw differs from many previous forms of political participation. Second,we reproduce and explain the CrowdLaw Manifesto that the rising CrowdLaw community has elaborated to foster such approaches around the world. Lastly, we introduce some preliminary considerations on the notions of justice, legitimacy and quality of lawmaking and public decision-making, which are central to the idea of CrowdLaw.

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