Abstract
Public participation is a key ingredient of good governance, aimed at a) engaging the public, b) resolving conflicts and supporting implementation, and c) improving decision quality. It is useful to consider ways of analysing the effectiveness of public participation by reference to these three aims: the level of public satisfaction through ongoing engagement of sections of the public; the degree to which conflicts are resolved and compliance with decisions is achieved; and the extent to which public views are reflected in the outputs and outcomes of decisions. I examine the 2002 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform process for insights into the European Commission’s use of public participation to achieve these aims. I note how the Commission’s public participation efforts were reinforced during this process, but I conclude that more innovative efforts could be used in future, particularly to engage new ‘publics’, and that finding a balance between the three aims within the newly formed Regional Advisory Councils will be particularly important.
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Coffey, C. (2005). What Role for Public Participation in Fisheries Governance?. In: Gray, T.S. (eds) Participation in Fisheries Governance. Reviews: Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3778-3_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3778-3_2
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