Evaluation of Public Participation in Environmental Assessment Policies: The Case of Slovenia and Canada

Abstract

The present research addresses methodology of public participation and politics of community economic development in environmental assessment processes. We are interested specifically in how concepts of power and space jointly operate in creating opportunities for marginalized groups to enter into policy process. Furthermore, a strong research interest is given to the improvement of existing public participation methodologies in a sense of possible reintegration of expert and local knowledge systems. On the basis of the two case studies (Wuskwatim projects in Canada and the Soča river case in Slovenia) differences in creation of invited policy space and claimed/created counterparts are presented.

Keywords

• geography
• hydroelectric development
• power
• space
• public participation
• community economic development
• environmental assessment process
• slovenia
• canada