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The Diversity of Public Participation Tools: Complementing or Competing With One Another?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2012

Laurence Bherer  and
Sandra Breux
Laurence Bherer*
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal
Sandra Breux*
Affiliation:
INRS-UCS
*
Laurence Bherer, Department of Political Science, University of Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-Ville Montréal QC, H3C 3J7, laurence.bherer@umontreal.ca
Sandra Breux, Institut national de la recherche scientifique-Centre Urbanisation, Culture et Société, 385 Sherbrooke st., Montréal, Qc, H2X 1E3, sandra.breux@ucs.inrs.ca
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Abstract

Abstract. The objective of this article is to understand the relations of complementarity and competition between participation mechanisms, a topic that has as yet attracted little empirical investigation, although there is discussion on this issue in the public participation literature. We study the cases of Montreal and Quebec City, where, since the amalgamations in 2002, a public assembly/referendum process has been added to the participation tools already in place in the two cities (public hearings and neighbourhood councils). What can we learn from these two cases about the impact on public participation of the diversification of tools? To explore this subject, we have chosen to use a policy instrument framework to analyze three factors that affect the interactions between policy instruments: the design of the participation tools, the meaning that the actors give to these instruments, and the institutional context in which they are implemented.

Résumé. L'objectif de cet article est de comprendre les relations de complémentarité et de compétition entre les dispositifs de participation publique, un thème peu traité empiriquement, même s'il y a des discussions sur cet enjeu dans la documentation sur la participation publique. Notre enquête porte sur le cas de Montréal et de Québec où, depuis les fusions municipales de 2002, un processus d'assemblée publique/référendum a été ajouté aux outils de participation déjà en place (audiences publiques et conseils de quartier). Qu'est-ce que ces deux cas peuvent nous apprendre sur les effets de la multiplication des dispositifs participatifs sur la pratique de la participation publique? Pour explorer ce sujet, nous analysons 3 facteurs qui influencent les interactions entre les instruments de politiques publiques : le design des dispositifs participatifs, la compréhension que les acteurs ont de ces instruments et le contexte institutionnel dans lequel ils sont mis en œuvre.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 379 - 403
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2012

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