Diverse measures have been introduced at the EU and domestic level in relation to sustainability transitions. While some of them have sectoral, nation-wide character, others pursue a territorial, context-sensitive approach. Although there is a lack of full technical and political understanding of the effects that policy decisions regarding sustainability transitions will have in the long-term across societies, territories, and generations, verdicts are being made as to which, or whose, needs and interests will be prioritised. The place-based approach is, in theory, conducive in such context as it could facilitate better recognition of exposure to burdens and equal access to benefits based on territorial specificities. This approach shall also promote the participation of affected communities in problem structuring and policy solutions, which ensures that policy design and implementation reflect bottom-up issue identification, and prioritisation. In such complex transformations, there can be multiple, often competing, identified problem areas, that governments are called upon to tackle within defined budget boundaries. In theory, these dilemmas should encourage the rationale for using dialogue-based forms of participation, facilitating better understanding across divergent opinions and consensus building. The research contained within this report is particularly concerned with how the voices of least-engaged communities are considered in these policy decision-making and dialogue processes. This focus is driven by the acknowledged risks in literature of a transition that is not inclusive, characterised by the (re-)production of inequalities, erosion of institutional trust, social unrest, and a resistance to change, especially from those who feel unfairly burdened or unbenefited by such change.

 

In an attempt to inform the design of more inclusive participatory processes and sustainability transition policy measures, this research follows a novel comprehensive framework, operationalised via qualitative research methods, to explore factors that condition deliberative citizen participation. The framework distinguishes between policy factors related to the selection of specific sustainability policy measures, and community factors, related to the sentiments held by groups defined on the basis of socio-demographic patterns, who are assumed to be less engaged in policy-making processes. It acknowledges that these policy and community factors may be impacted by a wider context issues.

 

Under the policy factors, insights from the research show that the scope for citizen participation, and the inclusivity of participatory processes, are affected (i) by the transition rationales that policies define and pursue, (ii) by governance arrangements related to both the balancing between top-down and bottom-up dynamics, and the ensuring of equality of powers within the participatory processes themselves, and finally, (iii) by the approach and rationale policies adopt in identifying and targeting communities. Policy factors also appear affected by certain broader contextual issues applicable beyond analysed policy measures. One significant such factor relates to the restricted capacity of sub-national authorities to implement citizen participation processes, often linked to a lack of relevant skills and tools. Whilst sub-national, especially local-level, authorities are expected to play a leading role in mobilising and organising participatory instruments targeted at communities and citizens, technical and human capacity issues are particularly prevalent at lower administrative levels. Another challenge faced when designing and implementing participatory processes within a place-based policy, which ideally integrates interrelated thematic fields, arises from the distribution of sectoral, or decisionmaking, responsibilities across different public bodies and levels of government

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Under the community variables, the research underscores the interlinkages between willingness and ability factors that affect community perspectives regarding public policies and participatory DUST D3.2 v.0.1 – 22-08-2024 ix processes organised by authorities for just sustainability transition. Socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender, residence, education and place of living prove to impact communities perceptions regarding the relevance of policy measures to their lives, views and experiences with power, knowledge and preferences on language, tone and means of communication. The way these characteristics define the engagement attitudes of communities appear specific to the different geographical and political contexts. Trust plays a significant role for the way various communities perceive the capability of public institutions to navigate through sustainability transitions, devise good policy solutions, and distribute costs and benefits fairly. This factor is relatively universal across engaged groups in the research, with distrust showing to be both a disincentive and an incentive for participation.

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This deliverable has been submitted to the European Commission and is awaiting approval.