How to Make Good Citizen Participation Relevant in European Regions

The Experience of Lombardy

Dr Martino Mazzoleni – Éupolis Lombardia Stuttgart - 6 December 2012

Outline

• Introduction: the experience of Lombardy • Deliberative processes and partnership • Participation or Subsidiarity?

• Main challenges • References

Introduction: the experience of Lombardy

• There are many opportunities for inclusive/participative democracy in a region where civil society is particularly lively and structured.

• The experience of Lombardy shows a good degree of consensus and involvement of civil society in the various participative tools that have been introduced.

• Two are the dimensions of public participation in policymaking of Lombardy: - partnership with stakeholders in policy formulation, and - subsidiarity approach aimed at empowering people with the capability to pursue their own goals within the functioning of policies.

Deliberative processes and Partnership

A distinctive feature of Lombardy’s governance is partnership with stakeholders: economic actors, local authorities, “functional autonomies” (such as universities), and the Third Sector. Examples: 

Pact for Development



Lombardy EXPO 2015 Committee



Territorial round tables

 implementation of public policies: Agenda 21, river contracts, neighbourhood contracts, social and health local plans.  new media.

Participation or Subsidiarity?

Underlying principle:

subsidiarity

. This has been included in the new Statute (2008) of the Region, among its fundamental principles. Article 8(3): “the Region promotes participative processes by enhancing the autonomous initiatives, those by organized social interests as well as those coming from the regional community”. Main achievements in welfare services: quasi-markets and freedom of choice. This is

a different, and original perspective on participation

: providing citizens themselves with the capacity to shape the functioning of policies – within the framework of laws and regulations – according to their own needs, objectives and preferences.

Main challenges

 Common procedures and co-ordination among all partnerships;  transparency and inclusiveness;  impact on policies;  a clearer linkage between policy formulation with stakeholders and empowerment of civil society and citizens.

References

  Brugnoli, A., Colombo, A. and Mazzoleni, M. (2007),

Governance: The Lombardy Way

.

Assessing an Experience, Designing New Perspectives. Position Paper

. Milan: IReR. Colombo, A. (2008), “European Citizenship through Participation and Subsidiarity ”, in Pellegrini G. (ed.),

Technoscientific Innovation. Responsibility and New Models of Democracy in Science and Society Relationship

. Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino, pp. 123-148.   Colombo, A. and Cucca, R. (2010) eds,

Innovare la democrazia. Teorie ed esperienze di deliberazione pubblica

, Milan: Guerini e Associati. IReR (2009),

Lombardia 2010. Rapporto di legislatura

.

Società, governo e sviluppo del sistema lombardo.

Milan: Guerini e Associati.

Thank you for your kind attention