Challenges in Public Participation and Collaboration : A Case Study in Finnish Environmental Decision-making

Abstract

This position paper introduces ongoing research efforts that addresses the ability of different kinds of organizations and multiple individuals to cope together with complex environmental planning and policymaking problems in the Finnish context. The research question “What kind of challenges are there in the collaborative processes of environmental decision-making and how can they be tackled?” is approached from the perspectives of the framework of public participation process and the theory of collaborative governance. We use these theories as analytical tools to evaluate how the elements and phases of collaboration processes are conducted in practice and to identify problems that exist in the collaborative processes. This phenomenon is studied through a single case study of environmental planning case from a medium-sized city located in Finland.