WP31 Responsible

CR29 - Institute for Social Research (Oslo)

WP31 Responsible for Spread of Excellence

CR29 - Institute for Social Research (Oslo)

WP31 Objectives

The work package will focus on local governance initiatives and identify the different patterns of Public Private Partnership at the local level, emphasizing the role of civil society actors. The meaning of the term governance can be divided in two categories a state centric and a society centered. This WP is focusing on the latter. This theoretical view on governance looks more generically at the coordination and various forms of formal and informal types of public-private interactions, most predominantly on the role of policy networks. The focus is on coordination and self governance as such, as manifested in different types of networks and partnerships and on bottom-up and participatory approaches to policy-making. Starting from this understanding of governance it is of note even a cursory analysis of participatory devices in rural and urban areas reveals a high number of very different arrangements. In this context a systematic comparative analysis of such different forms of citizens’ participation and partnerships is still lacking, but can prove useful in shedding light on transformations in decision-making processes and more generally in forms of local governance. The work package will aim at identifying the local dynamics between civil society, private sector and public sector within some relevant field such as welfare services, social exclusion, minority representation and local development policy.

WP31 Description of work

The WP aims at collecting case studies on new participatory forms of governance in rural and urban areas. A number of research questions will be addressed using a comparative approach:

• How are citizens and communities involved in participatory policy-making?
• How do civil society, public and private sectors interact in different localities?
• What is the role played by civil society organisations in participatory policy-making?
• What are the links between participatory devices and representative institutions?
• What are the expectations linked to the adoption of participatory approach?
• Under which conditions are participatory devices able to deliver consensual decisions?

WP31 Participants

• CR29 - Institute for Social Research (Oslo)
• CR24 - University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research (Trento)
• CR1 - Roskilde University, Department of Social Sciences (Roskilde)
• CR10 - Charles University, Center for Social and Economic Strategies (Prague)
• CR44 - University of the West of England, Faculty of the Built Environment – Cities Research Centre (Bristol)

WP31 Documents

For documents of this work package, please go to CINEFOGO Database and type WP31 in the Search field.