The Professionalization of Public Participation [Hardcover]

The Professionalization of Public Participationis an edited collection of essays by leading and emerging scholars examining the emerging profession of public participation professionals.

Public participation professionals are persons working in the public, private, or third sectors that are paid to design, implement, and/or facilitate participatory forums. The rapid growth and proliferation of participatory arrangements call for expertise in the organizing of public participation. The contributors analyze the professionalization of this practice in different countries (United States, France, Canada, Italy, and the United Kingdom) to see how their actions challenge the development of participatory arrangements. Designing such processes is a delicate activity, since it may affect not only the quality of the processes and their legitimacy, but also their capacity to influence decision-making.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction. The public participation professional: an invisible but pivotal actor in participatory processes

Chapter 2: Innovating public participation. The role of PPPs and institutions in Italy

Chapter 3: The participatory democracy market in France: Between standardization and fragmentation

Chapter 4: Public participation professionals in the US: Confronting challenges of equity and empowerment

Chapter 5: Whos the client? The sponsor, citizens, or the participatory process? Tensions in the Quebec (Canada) public participation field