دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی مشارکت شهروندی: به سوی چارچوبی برای ارزیابی خط مشی - امرالد 2018

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the academic debate on participatory urban development in two ways: first, by proposing a methodological framework though which urban policies can be assessed; and second, through a case study that applies the framework, delivering an analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration. Design/methodology/approach – The first section of this paper introduces the case study, placing it in the political context in Berlin and suggesting an initial reading of the relevant documents that frame policy in participatory urban development today. The second section includes an attempt at disambiguation, a conceptual and an analytical framework, followed by a preliminary assessment of the Berlin participatory policy. The final part of this paper draws conclusions and sets a possible future research agenda. Findings – Participation is present in several passages of the Contract and refers to different possible readings of the term: participation as institutional framework, participation as rights, participation in the public sphere and participation as practice. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the disambiguation of the concept of “citizen participation”, proposes a framework through which to assess policy and offers an initial analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration.

Conclusions and a possible research agenda

Participation is present throughout the Contract in surprising frequency. Whilst never explicitly clarified as a term, the analysis performed in this paper shows that the focus lies mostly on the institutional framework. Participation as rights and participation in the public sphere are mostly underlying principles, which, however, permeate the whole document and are repeated regularly. Participation as practice remains weak, as there is no mention of how the Senate will deal with non-institutional or even anti-institutional forms of participation, such as social movements. In the Contract participation takes place in different public spheres – housing, cultural policy, urban planning and privatization policy – and at different scales – the housing estate, the neighbourhood, the borough and the state. But it even considers Berlin’s responsibility beyond its borders, in Europe and internationally. This is a geographical responsibility that, as stated in the Contract, stems both from Berlin’s (and Germany’s) past and from its current hegemonic position in a globalized world.

Social justice, equality, anti-discrimination and social cohesion as values behind the Contract are meant to allow all citizens to participate equally in the public sphere. Underprivileged groups are explicitly mentioned several times: the poor, women, LGBQT, Roma, migrants and refugees. Austerity as an exclusionary ideology is clearly rejected. The document refers to several power fault lines – class, gender, sexuality and ethnic origin. Whereas participation is not directly present as a right in itself, suffrage rights as well as the rights to housing, education and work are explicitly or implicitly addressed. The Contract considers the extension of voting rights to European citizens and non-European migrants at different polity scales. It also addresses the relationship between direct and representative democracy.