Participation at the Local Level in the Context of Environmental Governance

Abstract

Although most attention is likely to be paid to local issues in local participatory processes, there is no firm reason to restrict participation at that level to local issues only. By distinguishing several levels of governance (sub-national, national, international and global) and focusing on various functions of governance (public agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation and self-managed activities), it is argued that local authorities and other local organisations can play a part at almost all levels of governance. The strong presence and participation of local interests at the local level may even provide opportunities for policy-making at higher levels of governance. This is because the integration of interests that has to take place at the local level may provide an opportunity for local government to develop a more integrated vision of public policy than the highly specialised branches of national government. Moreover, popular inputs to local policy processes can be assumed usually to be less structured according to content than the organisation of government. When dealing with a style of policy in which support for environmental policy measures is sought by consulting different groups in society, the local level also has the advantage of being close to individuals and groups that are more inaccessible at the national level.