7.2 Participatory Action
169
If the motivation and reason why stakeholders take part of the process is clear it is now
important to know which requirements a collaborative process has to fulfill. The following
list of criteria is a choice taken from Linder and Vatter (1996, p. 182–188):
Equity A participatory process should strive to reduce as much as possible the disparity (according to the access to knowledge and societal capability of attending such a
process) between the attending parties.
3 For example, the broad public should have the opportunity to participate in informal pre-project meetings. The differences in existing and
non-existing power in specific groups should be minimized within such processes, that
is, try to involve also powerless interest groups or people which are mostly excluded for
different reasons, for example, disadvantaged through less financial support.
Transparency A transparent and traceable process is important to build trust between
the attending parties in a participation process. The open discussion on values, interests
and needs can help to improve the quality of discussion within the process.
Capability for social learning Not only scientific knowledge can help to find best solutions for a given problem or challenge also local knowledge provided by “layman” can
provide insights in specific local circumstances and contexts (see, for example, Bormann
et al., 2012).
Early and iterative involvement To involve stakeholders from the beginning is important because problem definition and agreements on the project procedures will set in first
phases of a participation project. The earlier people are involved to bring own views and
opinions the more committed they feel for the entire process. Furthermore, an iterative
process offers the opportunity to involve stakeholders which were not identified in the first
phase of the project either they are not known or their attendance is necessary caused by
the project status (see, for example, Bormann et al., 2015).
Intelligible information and clear conflict resolution rules The accessibility and comprehension of available information should not be limited to selected participants because
it can raise mistrust and aversion against the process. The fear that an open (informal) process lasts longer than formal procedure has not been proven by reality – see, for example,
Würtenberger (1993) and Walker (2009).
Joint agreement on a code of practice and decision-making process Important is to
achieve consensus on the code of practice and the decision-making process within the
3 Linder and Vatter (1996) proposed also the criteria competency of participants, social compensation
and compensation between powerful and powerless parties, here these will be subsumed under the
criterion equity.
169
If the motivation and reason why stakeholders take part of the process is clear it is now
important to know which requirements a collaborative process has to fulfill. The following
list of criteria is a choice taken from Linder and Vatter (1996, p. 182–188):
Equity A participatory process should strive to reduce as much as possible the disparity (according to the access to knowledge and societal capability of attending such a
process) between the attending parties.
3 For example, the broad public should have the opportunity to participate in informal pre-project meetings. The differences in existing and
non-existing power in specific groups should be minimized within such processes, that
is, try to involve also powerless interest groups or people which are mostly excluded for
different reasons, for example, disadvantaged through less financial support.
Transparency A transparent and traceable process is important to build trust between
the attending parties in a participation process. The open discussion on values, interests
and needs can help to improve the quality of discussion within the process.
Capability for social learning Not only scientific knowledge can help to find best solutions for a given problem or challenge also local knowledge provided by “layman” can
provide insights in specific local circumstances and contexts (see, for example, Bormann
et al., 2012).
Early and iterative involvement To involve stakeholders from the beginning is important because problem definition and agreements on the project procedures will set in first
phases of a participation project. The earlier people are involved to bring own views and
opinions the more committed they feel for the entire process. Furthermore, an iterative
process offers the opportunity to involve stakeholders which were not identified in the first
phase of the project either they are not known or their attendance is necessary caused by
the project status (see, for example, Bormann et al., 2015).
Intelligible information and clear conflict resolution rules The accessibility and comprehension of available information should not be limited to selected participants because
it can raise mistrust and aversion against the process. The fear that an open (informal) process lasts longer than formal procedure has not been proven by reality – see, for example,
Würtenberger (1993) and Walker (2009).
Joint agreement on a code of practice and decision-making process Important is to
achieve consensus on the code of practice and the decision-making process within the
3 Linder and Vatter (1996) proposed also the criteria competency of participants, social compensation
and compensation between powerful and powerless parties, here these will be subsumed under the
criterion equity.