Para além dos obstáculos: experiências de consultas públicas e a possibilidade de ética e relevância na participação

Maria Fernandes-Jesus; Eunice Castro Seixas; Anabela Carvalho

doi:10.17231/comsoc.36(2019).2345

Authors

Maria Fernandes-Jesus Centre for Social Research and Investigation, Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8868-1968
Eunice Castro Seixas Research Center in Economic and Organizational Sociology (SOCIUS), University of Lisbon, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5356-6014
Anabela Carvalho Communication and Society Research Centre, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7727-4187

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.36(2019).2345

Keywords:

consultation, discourses, ethics, public participation, relevance

Abstract

Public consultations are increasingly used in projects with environmental impact, allegedly as a way to ensure that affected people and communities have their concerns recognised and addressed. There have been multiple criticisms of this form of public participation, with consultations frequently viewed as a tokenistic practice. In this study, we focus on a public consultation on extra-high voltage power lines projected to go from northern Portugal to northwestern Spain. We analyse citizens’ discourses regarding hindrances to participation as well as envisaged possibilities to improve it. The study draws on semi-structured interviews with 26 people and five focus groups discussions (N=37) carried out in localities in the north of Portugal that would be affected by the project. Based on citizens’ narrated experiences of participation we discuss the relevance and the ethics of participation in access, standing and influence in public consultations processes.

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