R. Beunen

Evolutionary Governance Theory

1 Introduction.- Part I: Governance as Evolution.- 2 Theoretical Sources of EGT.- 3 Foundational Concepts.- Part II: Building Blocks for Evolutionary Governance Theory.- 4 Evolutionary Paths.- 5 Seeing, Making & Distribution Things.- 6 The Power of Stories.- 7 Governance Paths and Reality Effects.- Part III: Applying EGT.- 8 Governance and Its Categories.- 9 Overview of the EGT Model.- 10 Policy Formulation & EGT: Making Governance Work.- Literature.

Delineating locals: Transformations of knowledge/power and the governance of the Danube delta

In this paper, we adopt a Foucauldian perspective on power/knowledge interactions to investigate the evolution and implementation of policy for the Romanian Danube delta. We argue that a better understanding of the potential for citizen participation in environmental governance can be obtained from a careful analysis of the pathways of emergence, enactment and implementation of policies affecting an area. Policies are seen as temporary conceptual structures coordinating knowledge and power, in constant transmutation because of the confrontation with other power/knowledge configurations. For the Danube delta, it is argued that policies originating at various levels of government co-create a ‘local’ that is scrutinized, silenced, exoticized, subjugated and marginalized. Finally, we investigate the implications of this and similar processes of delineation of actors for participatory natural resource governance.

The governance of Natura 2000 sites: the importance of initial choices in the organisation of planning processes

The management of Natura 2000 sites faces several challenges. Responsible authorities need to achieve specific conservation objectives and they need to balance these objectives with social and economic interests. A study of two cases, one in England and one in the Netherlands, shows that the initial choices about the organisation of a deliberative planning process can create a solid basis for further co-operation. This paper contributes to the knowledge about the design and consequences of deliberative planning processes. It shows how a specific process design can strengthen the possibilities to develop social capital, trust and reciprocity, but also how it can result in a deliberative quicksand, characterised by ongoing discussions and even conflicts between the various stakeholders.

Natura 2000 Network: A Comparison of the Italian and Dutch Implementation Experiences

The implementation of Natura 2000, Ecological Network of protected areas established in the European territory under Council Directive 92/43/EEC, has encountered serious problems in many European States. This is proven by conspicuous juridical interventions initiated by the European Union against Member States failing to comply with the Directives requirements; by the aversion of stakeholders involved in the use of protected areas and by the criticisms that environmental non-governmental organizations expressed about the governmental approaches towards the networks realization. This paper presents a critical reflection on the problems in the realization of Natura 2000 Network, by analysing and comparing the experiences of two Member States: the Netherlands and Italy. Despite the differences in national natural heritages and nature conservation policy traditions, the two Natura 2000 implementation processes present interesting similarities. These allowed the authors to identify theoretical and practical obstacles that are making the networks implementation problematic and to reflect on the most important challenges to the realization of Natura 2000 Network in the two countries, as well as in other Member States that experienced similar implementation problems.

Crossing trails in the marshes: rigidity and flexibility in the governance of the Danube Delta

In this paper, we revisit the utility of the concepts of path dependence and interdependence for the analysis of participatory environmental governance. We investigate the evolution of environmental governance in the Romanian Danube Delta, and, starting from an observation of problematic citizen participation, demonstrate how specific patterns of path and interdependence shaped both the present situation and the reform options. For the Delta, it is argued that direct citizen participation, without working with other institutions, would not solve the problems observed, but would rather reinforce unwanted informal institutions. Theoretically, we utilise a combination of path dependence theory and social systems theory, allowing a grasp of both rigidity and flexibility in the evolution of governance systems. Empirically, expert and lay interviews, long-term observation and analysis of policy documents underpin our analysis.

Co-evolutions of planning and design: Risks and benefits of design perspectives in planning systems:

We develop an evolutionary perspective on spatial planning to investigate the potential contributions of design approaches to the coordination of spatial organization. After a re-articulation of the concepts of planning and design in this perspective, we distinguish six essential features of the planning/design dialectics in a community. These aspects ought to be understood when evaluating the risks and benefits of design perspectives in a planning system, and the potential for re-positioning design in planning. It is argued that relying on the rhetoric of any single actor or any single tradition of reflection on planning and design is deceptive, whereas the collective experience of learning and adaptation with actors and disciplines expands the scope of understanding and the pallet of possible adaptations.

European nature conservation legislation and spatial planning: For better or for worse?

Abstract The implementation of the Birds and Habitats directives has been problematic in many member states of the EU. In the Netherlands, many decision-making processes have ended in judicial intervention. This paper analyses the problematic implementation of both directives in the Netherlands. It shows that nature conservation legislation has gained importance in decision-making processes, but that this does not automatically mean that nature conservation goals have been achieved. Because of the emphasis that is placed on the procedural aspects of decision making, the costs involved have increased, while the substantial goals of the European Birds and Habitats directives are fading into the background.

Formal/Informal Dialectics and the Self-Transformation of Spatial Planning Systems An Exploration

In this article, we present a perspective on the interaction between formal and informal institutions in spatial planning in which they transform each other continuously, in processes that can be described and analyzed as ongoing reinterpretations. The effects of configurations and dialectics are often ambiguous, only partially observable, different in different domains and at different times. By means of analyses of key concepts in planning theory and practice, this perspective is illustrated and developed. Finally, we analyze transformation options in planning systems, emphasizing the limits of formal institutions in transforming formal/informal configurations, and stressing the importance of judgment and conflict.

Shifting nature conservation approaches in Natura 2000 and the implications for the roles of stakeholders

This paper analyses Natura 2000 as a shifting configuration of different approaches to nature conservation and discusses the consequences of these shifts for the roles of the stakeholders affected by this policy. Natura 2000 started with a technocratic approach that privileged conservation experts and marginalised socio-economic stakeholders. Over time, this approach has been complemented with participatory and economic approaches that offered scope for the inclusion of land users and business actors. However, the analysis also shows that the selective inclusion of economic values and stakeholders in the Natura 2000 framework risks marginalising other important socio-environmental actors.

Laws, People and Land Use: A Sociological Perspective on the Relation Between Laws and Land Use

Public policy is often implemented through formal laws. In contrast to the typically optimistic ex-ante analyses of the impact of a set of laws, in retrospect it may be hard to determine what the laws concretely produced. Particularly complicated to measure are the unintended and indirect effects on actors or values that were not the prime focus of the law. Despite the literature on these matters in other fields of research, among planners the theory of law implementation receives relatively little attention. This attitude may stem from the means-ends rationality that has been common to planning for so many years. This paper makes a plea for focusing on the interaction between people and laws so as to understand the outcomes. We do this by drawing insights from sociological perspectives on laws.