Has widening participation in decision-making influenced water policy in the UK?

Water Policy ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Page
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

This paper addresses public participation in debates over service quality in the water sector in England and Wales. It is argued that just at the moment when the British Government claims to be interested in getting stakeholders to participate in policy debates there are important questions arising about the future of the UK water industry in relation to commercial restructuring and increasing competition. The paper looks at two strategies for fostering public participation. First, it analyzes the structures established in 1989 and reformed in 2002 to represent consumers within the regulatory framework. It is argued that, as the institutions of consumer regulation have evolved, they have adopted fairly traditional strategies for influencing the Government's policy decisions that do not really accord to current theoretical models of stakeholder participation. Second, it analyzes the public consultation exercises run by the Water Services Regulator Ofwat (The Office of Water Services). The conclusions are based on a study of 35 recent consultation exercises carried out by Ofwat. The study analyzed 1250 responses to see which stakeholders were participating in consultation and then used questionnaires to identify how they perceived the consultation process. Most stakeholders were skeptical about the impact of consultation on Ofwat policy. Instead they regarded consultation as one strategy amongst the many which they used to try and steer policy in their own interest.

scholarly journals Social media and sentiment in bioenergy consultation

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Uren ◽  
Daniel Wright ◽  
James Scott ◽  
Yulan He ◽  
Hassan Saif
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Opinion Mining ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
Short Paper ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to address the following challenge: the push to widen participation in public consultation suggests social media as an additional mechanism through which to engage the public. Bioenergy companies need to build their capacity to communicate in these new media and to monitor the attitudes of the public and opposition organizations towards energy development projects. Design/methodology/approach – This short paper outlines the planning issues bioenergy developments face and the main methods of communication used in the public consultation process in the UK. The potential role of social media in communication with stakeholders is identified. The capacity of sentiment analysis to mine opinions from social media is summarised and illustrated using a sample of tweets containing the term “bioenergy”. Findings – Social media have the potential to improve information flows between stakeholders and developers. Sentiment analysis is a viable methodology, which bioenergy companies should be using to measure public opinion in the consultation process. Preliminary analysis shows promising results. Research limitations/implications – Analysis is preliminary and based on a small dataset. It is intended only to illustrate the potential of sentiment analysis and not to draw general conclusions about the bioenergy sector. Social implications – Social media have the potential to open access to the consultation process and help bioenergy companies to make use of waste for energy developments. Originality/value – Opinion mining, though established in marketing and political analysis, is not yet systematically applied as a planning consultation tool. This is a missed opportunity.

scholarly journals Applying for development consent during lockdown: The Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-84
Author(s):  
Catherine Ann Caine
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power Station ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk

The UK is currently facing unprecedented times as Covid-19 has forced the country into lockdown. However, the recent development consent application from EDF Energy for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station provides an opportunity for the planning sector to begin to return to normal. This opinion considers whether it is possible to achieve full public consultation on the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station application, given the current circumstances that the UK faces due to Covid-19. It is argued that the Planning Inspectorate has not currently taken sufficient action to ensure that members of the public who do not have internet access and those who require library access to make representations are not left out of the process. It is also argued that businesses and non-governmental organisations may also struggle to make representations at a time when they are suffering from limited resources. In conclusion, it is essential that the Planning Inspectorate takes immediate action to ensure that the public consultation process is preserved for applications of this kind while Covid-19 restrictions are in place.

30. Parliament and Petitions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Caygill ◽  
Anne-Marie Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
House Of Commons ◽  
The Public ◽  
System P ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines how the UK Parliament has used the e-petitions system to address some of the common criticisms about the relationship between the institution of government and the public. In May 2014, the House of Commons agreed to establish a ‘collaborative’ e-petitions system which would enable the public to petition the House of Commons and to call for action from the government. A Petitions Committee was created on 20 July 2015, and the new e-petitions site was launched the following day. The chapter first provides an overview of the changing nature of participation with Parliament, especially voting in elections, before discussing contemporary developments in petitioning Parliament. In particular, it considers public (paper) petitions and compares it to the e-petitions system. It also analyses the impact of e-petitions on Parliament and public participation and concludes with an assessment of challenges facing the e-petitions system.

scholarly journals Raised aspirations and attainment? A review of the impact of Aimhigher (2004–2011) on widening participation in higher education in England

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Doyle ◽  
Martyn Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Participation In Higher Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Of Research

Aimhigher was discontinued on 31 July 2011. This paper reviews the literature analysing its contribution to widening participation to higher education in the UK. Successes of Aimhigher are considered alongside its challenges; particularly the necessity to situate policy within the diverse demands of 42 areas covering England. These issues are considered in the context of wider contemporary debates concerning the quality of research into widening participation and instruments used to evaluate policy. Four strands of literature are identified and analysed: Aimhigher's impact and evaluation, its effectiveness in targeting beneficiaries, the progression and tracking of students and policy.

scholarly journals Accelerated two-year degrees in the UK: potential impact on student mental health

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Dieu Hack-Polay ◽  
Magdalena Read
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the ramifications of accelerated two-year degrees for student mental health. Since it was legislated in early 2019 in the UK, there has been limited debate in academia and among policymakers about the potential viability and risks of the compressed degree programmes. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an analysis of various academic and practitioner viewpoints as well as theoretical perspectives. Findings The paper found a mixed reception of the compressed degree programme among the academic and practitioner communities. In addition to apprehensions about the quality of education, there are concerns raised about the impact of the pressure deriving from the workload of the accelerated degree. The authors’ assessment considers a potential increase in stress and other more acute state of mental health degradation among students, especially international students, as well as students with families. Originality/value This policy analysis paper makes a significant contribution to the debate on the issue of two-year degrees that has not attracted academic scrutiny commensurate with its importance. The authors conclude that two-year degrees will have far-reaching ramifications, locally and internationally as the UK continues to push for its widening participation agenda as well as maintain its position as one of the top three destinations for international students. The authors suggest that wider discussions with stakeholder and some impact studies are needed before the accelerated degrees are further popularised in universities.

Participation in Written Government Consultations in Denmark and the UK: System and Actor-level Effects

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Public Consultation ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Historical Legacy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Design And Application

Despite the proliferation of instruments of public consultation in liberal democracies, little is known of how the design and use of these instruments affect stakeholder participation in practice. The article examines participation in written government consultations in an analysis of approximately 5,000 responses to consultations in Denmark and the UK in the first half of 2008. It shows that participation is highly conditional upon system- and actor-level characteristics in practice. Our findings indicate that, even if liberal democracies have adopted similar procedures for actor consultation in the last decades, the design and application of crucial rules vary considerably between systems. They emphasize how the conduct of consultation is heavily conditioned by the design of these processes, which is in turn constrained by the historical legacy of state–society structures of the system in question.

scholarly journals Nick Moore, his information policy matrix, with a bibliometric analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 394-403
Author(s):  
Adrienne Muir ◽  
Charles Oppenheim
Keyword(s):  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Information Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine Nick Moore’s information policy matrix and how it has been used by Moore and others. Design/methodology/approach This study involved secondary search and a bibliographic study of the impact Moore’s work has had on other authors. Findings It is clear that there have been two quite separate trains of research in information policy, one in the USA and one in Europe, and that it appears from the literature that there is limited awareness of each other’s work. Focusing on the UK and European research, the papers the authors inspected that report information policy analyses make no mention of Moore’s work. It could be argued that Moore’s matrix is too simplistic for such a complex topic as information policy, but it may also be the case that there is a lack of awareness of how the matrix can be used in policy analysis as Moore’s published papers were general descriptions of the matrix, reported the findings of his analyses or suggested policy goals. Moore did not publish theoretical or methodological papers to explain how to go about policy analysis using his matrix. Research limitations/implications This study is based on secondary research and bibliographic analysis. Furthermore, primary research could have revealed deeper insights into use and impact of Moore’s framework by analysts and policy makers. Originality/value The paper highlights potential opportunities for international collaboration on information policy research, to explore more deeply theoretical models that could be used to underpin policy analysis as well as the potential value of Moore’s matrix.

scholarly journals Widening HE participation in the arts: Impacts of an access module on learner preparedness

2021 ◽  
pp. 147402222110048
Author(s):  
John Butcher ◽  
Anactoria Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
The Impact

Despite the plethora of research on widening participation in the last 20 years, access to the arts and humanities has remained relatively under-explored, especially in relation to the preparedness of adult learners. This article reports a case study investigating the impact of an arts and languages Access module at the UK Open University. Findings from interviews with 37 Access students were analysed in relation to four themes: the need for Access preparation; generic studentship skills; discipline-specific skills; intrinsic enjoyment and interdisciplinary study. We conclude embedded generic skills enhance learner confidence and time management, while academic literacy skills relevant to the arts and humanities enhance cultural capital and enable disadvantaged learners to access challenging disciplines. The impact of a preparatory arts and humanities module extends into the lives of individual students, suggesting a counter-narrative to the prevailing, ‘economic value’ paradigms of higher education policymakers.

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