Seminar with Crystal Legacy and Matt Novacevski — Legitimacy-making and Public Participation: Local Governments’ Use of Standardised Frameworks

This event took place on Wednesday 19th April 2023:

Abstract: How do some participatory practices come to be seen as legitimate? In this paper, we examine how a framework developed by the International Association for Public Participation has been used to legitimise the participatory practices of local governments in Ontario, Canada and Victoria, Australia. The discursive construction of “best practice” and the articulation of new standards of professional competence were analysed. Our research raises questions about the potential consequences of the use of standardised frameworks for participation. While these frameworks encourage a minimum standard for public participation, they may also stifle creative and contextually sensitive participatory planning practice.