Quim Brugué

Multilevel governance and Europeanization : The case of Catalonia

Abstract The article aims to explore the patterns of multilevel governance in Catalonia in the context of a process of Europeanization. Catalonia is no longer a simple sphere of linguistic and cultural identity deprived of political expression. Nor, however, is it a political reality with the structures of a nation state. Today, Catalonia is a country with a considerable degree of self-government, but whose place within Europe for the most part continues to be articulated through its political dependencies on the Spanish state. At the same time, it is a country with an internal network of strong local identities – municipalities and comarques (or counties) – and a capital, Barcelona, with its own extraordinary projection: all of which is also expressed in the political sphere. To explore the complexities of Catalan governance, first we develop a framework of analysis; secondly, we examine the multilevel distribution of public resources; and finally, we investigate the framing, at multiple territorial levels, of policies that handle these resources.

Entre la deliberación y la negociación: el caso de la Mesa de la Montaña en Aragón

This article discusses how the wicked problem of «the mountains» in Aragon, a historical and highly complex conflict, has been approached through deliberation. Our aim is to respond to a larger theoretical issue: the viability and functionality of deliberation as a tool to produce better public policies in a context of high political and social conflict. We conclude that, although it is possible to generate deliberative spaces of quality that produce significant impacts on public policy, high-conflict contexts threaten the delicate deliberative balance. In our case study, in addition, there is a shift from deliberation to negotiation. Operating guidelines in deliberative spaces, the behaviour of the actors and the political leadership are shown as those aspects that determine the success of deliberation in a context of conflict.

GOBERNANZA DELIBERATIVA EN LA GESTIÓN DE CUENCAS HIDROGRÁFICAS: ANALIZANDO LAS CONSECUENCIAS DE LA DIRECTIVA MARCO DEL AGUA EN CATALUÑA

Deliberative governance on river basin management planning: analysing the consequences of the Water Framework Directive in Catalonia. The first river basin management plans under the Water Framework Directive have been adopted in Spain recently. For thus, there are no studies evaluating the results of the participatory processes carried out. This article discusses a participatory experience that has been considered a good practice: the deliberative process of River Basin Management planning in Catalonia. We are interested on the consequences of deliberation and, more specifically, we want to know if a good deliberative process improves water policy. Drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data obtained from documentary analysis and thirty interviews, we investigate the relationship between the procedural features of deliberation and its results. The limitations of the communication strategy, the lack of comprehensiveness with which water policy planning has been made and the lack of a deliberative political culture are some of the weaknesses identified in the case study. We conclude that a good deliberative process is a necessary but not a sufficient requierement to ensure a significant impact on water policy.

Algunas matizaciones en relación a la privatización de los Servicios Públicos.

El objetivo de este articulo no es ni el de analizar los recientes anuncios gubernamentales de privatizacion ni el de proporcionar unos criterios mas o menos cientificos que nos permitan valorar la bondad o la perversidad de tales procesos. Nuestro objetivo se centra mas bien en intentar precisar el significado de un concepto eminentemente polisenhico como el de privatizacion, presentar una propuesta de definicion operativa, y observar algunas de las consecuencias de los procesos de privatizacion sobre la gestion y la organizacion de los servicios publicos.