Guest lecture on “Policy making for sustainability in China. The role and constraints of institutionalized public participation”

img_0382The China Law Center and the University of Helsinki Department of Development Studies jointly organized a guest lecture on Policy making for sustainability in China. The role and constraints of institutionalized public participation” by Dr Daniele Bombal (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice). The lecture was held on 13 December 2016 and attracted participants from various fields of studies: law, environmental studies, development studies and chinese studies.

Abstract:

Despite retaining a restrictive political environment, in recent years the Chinese Party-State has introduced and strengthened various forms of institutionalized public participation. This trend has been particularly notable in policy areas neglected during the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, more likely to spur dissatisfaction among the Chinese populace.

In parallel with substantial efforts towards a more sustainable path of development, the Chinese leadership has shown a growing awareness over the need to encourage public engagement. Yet, the capacity of China’s institutionalized forms of participation to influence the outcome of policy processes and to promote citizens’ empowerment remains widely debated.

This lecture aims at providing an overview over the current state of affairs in China’s public participation, by focusing on policy areas related to social and environmental sustainability. In the first part of the lecture, different forms of public participation are introduced, providing concrete examples of their utilization. In the second part, a multi-criteria tool developed by researchers at Venice Ca’ Foscari University to evaluate public participation in environmental planning is introduced, and its possible applications are discussed.