P14- Constructing "citizens": The interplay between definition and deliberation
PANEL Organizers
• Dr. Lisa Pettibone (lisa.pettibone@mfn-berlin.de), Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Germany)
• Sebastian Mehling (mehling@europa-uni.de), Europa Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) / Malmö University (Sweden)
SUMMARY
Public participation has become an increasingly important hallmark in decision-making processes. From structured deliberation in urban planning to public budgeting, citizens are called on to participate in democracy beyond the ballot box. Participatory approaches have even become popular beyond the political realm, as seen by the increasing interest in citizen science. Behind these different terms and approaches is the attempt by those in power -politicians, administrators, scientists- to give voice to citizens in a more structured way. Such efforts are consistent with the “knowledge society” (Castells) or “learning society” (OECD), which refer to the emergence of critical citizens less willing to accept the authority of formal institutions. So-called experts, whether managers, policy makers or academics, face a legitimacy crisis, where their roles in society are being challenged or replaced by amateurs. In other words, the more active incorporation of citizen and lay knowledge into previously expert-led deliberation processes is due to both internal and external pressures. This panel examines in depth how the construction of “citizens” itself affects the deliberative approach used in so-called participatory processes. Possible questions include: How is “public participation” constructed to encourage particular engagement or outcomes in urban planning? How does the use of “citizen” in policy deliberation processes affect the ability of migrants, minorities, and other disempowered groups to participate in these processes? Are “citizens” in citizen science simply volunteers who help answer the questions of professional scientists or do they hold equal standing and thus the ability to steer research questions? By presenting examples of how “citizens” are constructed in different fields, this panel (or series of panels) hopes to raise conceptual understanding of key issues and how they can be addressed.
KEY WORDS
Citizens, participation, deliberation, decision making, citizen science, urban planning, migration
ROOM
Faculty E2.15
SESSION 1 8/07/15 : 17:00-18:30
Chair: Lisa Pettibone (lisa.pettibone@mfn-berlin.de), Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Germany)
• The citizen in participatory urban planning
Magnus Johansson (magnus.johansson@mah.se), Malmö University (Sweden)
• Service Learning as Citizen Science
Sebastian Mehling, Florian Tienes, Marion Schuchardt (mehling@europa-uni.de), Europa Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) / Malmö University (Germany / Sweden)
• Expertise-by-experience as a technology of citizenship
Taina Meriluoto (taina.meriluoto@jyu.fi), University of Jyväskylä (Finland)
SESSION 2 : 9/07/15 : 09:00-10:30
Chair: Sebastian Mehling (mehling@europa-uni.de), Europa Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) / Malmö University (Sweden)
Discussant: TBA
• Who are the ‘citizens’ in citizen science?
Lisa Pettibone (lisa.pettibone@mfn-berlin.de), Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Germany)
• A silent majority outside deliberation – Thinking conceptually about affectedness as criterion in disaster risk policy making
Christine Prokopf (christine.prokopf@uni-muenster.de), University of Münster (Germany)
• Give a chance to all’ – the creation and delimitation of disadvantaged groups in ESF-projects
Dalia Mukhtar-Landgren (dalia.mukhtar-landgren@svet.lu.se), Lund University (Sweden)
