Metropolitics

The Just Transition, Economic Democracy, and the Green New Deal

Evan Casper-Futterman & Jason Spicer — 2019-11-05T06:00:00Z

Can participatory and economic democracy in the US support a Green New Deal? Evan Casper‑Futterman and Jason Spicer review two recent books that assess how radical social and institutional transformation could make a Green New Deal effective, and underscore the challenges that remain.
Earlier this year, US Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez introduced a Congressional resolution for a Green New Deal (GND), an idea since supported by a number of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. The

- Reviews / environmental justice, just transition, democracy, participatory democracy, economic democracy, Green New Deal, United States, participation

Participatory democracy in France: subsumed by local politics

Rémi Lefebvre & translated by Oliver Waine — 2013-01-09T15:06:59Z

In spite of the development of new forms of participatory democracy, turnout at local elections in France has never been lower. Far from rejuvenating “local democracy”, the experiences of participation tend instead to reinforce local powers that are increasingly distanced from electors.
Participatory democracy has in recent years become a standard part of local public action. Local councillors consider it is essential to involve citizens in decisions regularly – and not just at election time

- Essays / participation, local councillors, local democracy, abstention, participatory democracy

Participatory democracy in large-scale contexts: citizen participation in urban planning in Paris and Córdoba

Héloïse Nez & translated by Oliver Waine — 2011-10-19T05:00:00Z

Participatory urban planning often comes up against the question of scale, with local councillors accepting to delegate a part of their powers in the context of neighbourhood enhancements, but not when it comes to larger-scale projects. Are we condemned to eternally fluctuate between a strong vision of participatory democracy that is limited to small-scale developments and a concept of consultative democracy that is weaker, but able to include large-scale projects?
Although urban planning and

- Debates / participation, local governance, urban development, participatory democracy