Suchergebnisse

Although deliberative theory has attracted increasing attention from many quarters, a relevant question that has not yet received adequate consideration is whether it should be institutionalized (Fung et al. 2005), and how that might be done. Although there have been many successful 'one shot' experiences of deliberative participation, there are few examples of institutionalization as a routine practice. This raises several issues including the relationship of deliberative processes with representative institutions and processes. Compared with other developed nations, Italy has not traditionally been a leader in the application of public participation practices. However, several regional administrations have ventured into this field in recent years. At the end of 2007 the Region of Tuscany passed Law no. 69 defining Rules on the Promotion of Participation in the Formulation of Regional and Local Policies, an innovative legal provision explicitly aimed at pro-actively promoting citizen engagement in local and regional decision making. This law, by incorporating features explicitly derived from deliberative theory, institutionalizes citizen participation; that is, the involvement through group dialogue of citizens and stakeholders in decision-making about issues or problems of public interest. Tuscany has become a remarkable 'laboratory' for empirically testing the validity of deliberative participation in the real world, for verifying the effects and possible benefits of its institutionalization, and for applying a specific model which enables representative government and mini-publics to co-exist (and to become complementary and mutually reinforcing). The results from this laboratory will be of relevance to scholars, practitioners and politicians who are interested in such democratic innovations. Law no. 69/07 might well inform the uptake of citizen engagement well beyond Tuscan borders, both in Italy and internationally. An analysis of the approach adopted by the Law offers an opportunity to reflect on how ...

Although deliberative theory has attracted increasing attention from many quarters, a relevant question that has not yet received adequate consideration is whether it should be institutionalized (Fung et al. 2005), and how that might be done. Although there have been many successful 'one shot' experiences of deliberative participation, there are few examples of institutionalization as a routine practice. This raises several issues including the relationship of deliberative processes with representative institutions and processes. Compared with other developed nations, Italy has not traditionally been a leader in the application of public participation practices. However, several regional administrations have ventured into this field in recent years. At the end of 2007 the Region of Tuscany passed Law no. 69 defining Rules on the Promotion of Participation in the Formulation of Regional and Local Policies, an innovative legal provision explicitly aimed at pro-actively promoting citizen engagement in local and regional decision making. This law, by incorporating features explicitly derived from deliberative theory, institutionalizes citizen participation; that is, the involvement through group dialogue of citizens and stakeholders in decision-making about issues or problems of public interest. Tuscany has become a remarkable 'laboratory' for empirically testing the validity of deliberative participation in the real world, for verifying the effects and possible benefits of its institutionalization, and for applying a specific model which enables representative government and mini-publics to co-exist (and to become complementary and mutually reinforcing). The results from this laboratory will be of relevance to scholars, practitioners and politicians who are interested in such democratic innovations. Law no. 69/07 might well inform the uptake of citizen engagement well beyond Tuscan borders, both in Italy and internationally. An analysis of the approach adopted by the Law offers an opportunity to reflect on how authorities might go about actively promoting and institutionalizing citizen participation. This paper examines the impetus for the Law and the participatory process through which the Law itself was designed; it illustrates the goals of the Law and how these have been operationalized into legal provisions, with specific attention to the role of the administrations (including an ad hoc independent Authority) who were entrusted with the implementation of the Law; it highlights the deliberative features of the Law; and finally it offers a preliminary discussion of the outcomes of the Law – both successful and less so – during its first three years of existence.

Una delle risposte alla crisi delle istituzioni rappresentative che attraversa molti paesi democratici viene ricercata nella riscoperta del "potere del popolo", ovvero in un maggior coinvolgimento dei cittadini nelle scelte e nelle politiche pubbliche. In particolare la partecipazione viene declinata secondo la specifica accezione della teoria dialogicodeliberativa, i cui tratti salienti sono: interazione discorsiva dialogica, basata sull'ascolto attivo; deliberazione, ovvero ponderazione attenta delle diverse opzioni e delle loro implicazioni; informazione adeguata e bilanciata; inclusione, ovvero consentire a tutte le "voci" di farsi sentire; partecipazione di campioni casuali stratificati di cittadini rappresentativi sotto il profilo socio-demografico. La democrazia deliberativa ha espresso numerose "promesse": decisioni migliori in quanto capaci di incorporare informazioni, conoscenze tecnico-scientifiche e preferenze, scelte condivise e percepite come legittime, maggiore legittimazione del sistema politico in generale, crescita del capitale sociale, solo per citarne alcune. Tale promesse vanno peraltro empiricamente verificate. La teoria deliberativa č stata applicata in numerose esperienze in numerosi paesi. Forse oggi uno dei "laboratori" piů interessanti in questo campo č oggi rappresentato dalla Toscana, dove é stata approvata alla fine del 2007 la l.r. 69, verosimilmente la prima normativa al mondo che mira a promuovere pro-attivamente la partecipazione alle decisioni locali e regionali ispirandosi almeno sotto alcuni aspetti alla teoria deliberativa.