TY - JOUR
T1 - Confronting institutional boundaries to public participation
T2 - a case of the Danish energy sector
AU - Nielsen, Helle Nedergaard
AU - Aaen, Sara Bjørn
AU - Lyhne, Ivar
AU - Cashmore, Matthew
PY - 2019/4/3
Y1 - 2019/4/3
N2 - Although public participation has become an integrated part of planning practice, experience and documents literature still document difficulties in implementing participatory planning processes that provide arenas where citizens can truly influence planning. Based on a combination of institutional theory and action research methodology, this paper focuses on the institutional boundaries to introducing participatory practices by exploring openings and closures to the adoption of participatory planning processes by the Danish energy transmission system operator (TSO). Public participation in the Danish energy sector is characterized by complex institutional arrangements. The study shows how institutional boundaries are perceived by planners and how openings and closures can be identified and developed in an action research approach. The study reveals that citizen involvement has the potential to influence existing power structures but is highly challenged by an instrumentialised and sector-divided planning.
AB - Although public participation has become an integrated part of planning practice, experience and documents literature still document difficulties in implementing participatory planning processes that provide arenas where citizens can truly influence planning. Based on a combination of institutional theory and action research methodology, this paper focuses on the institutional boundaries to introducing participatory practices by exploring openings and closures to the adoption of participatory planning processes by the Danish energy transmission system operator (TSO). Public participation in the Danish energy sector is characterized by complex institutional arrangements. The study shows how institutional boundaries are perceived by planners and how openings and closures can be identified and developed in an action research approach. The study reveals that citizen involvement has the potential to influence existing power structures but is highly challenged by an instrumentialised and sector-divided planning.
KW - action research
KW - Denmark
KW - energy sector
KW - institutional boundaries
KW - Public participation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060576391&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09654313.2019.1569594
DO - 10.1080/09654313.2019.1569594
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85060576391
SN - 0965-4313
VL - 27
SP - 722
EP - 738
JO - European Planning Studies
JF - European Planning Studies
IS - 4
ER -