Participatory processes developed at the local level have received considerable attention. Surprisingly though, one of their potential main effects – their impact on public policies – has been the object of scant systematic research. While some of these participatory processes have only a loose connection to the policy process, even amongst those that are more policy oriented the general impression is that they have only limited impact on final policies. One of the possibilities is that politicians and officials cherry-pick from amongst the proposals emerging from these participatory processes, adopting only those more favourable to their own interests. The goal of the paper is twofold. First, we offer a theoretical model that aims to explain both the types of policies and the types of participatory processes that are more likely to be excluded and adopted as a result of a cherry-picking orientation. Second, we sketch a proposal on how to operationalize this model through a dataset of policy proposals emerging from a range of participatory processes developed in three Spanish regions.

Ponencia presentada al XI Congreso de la AECPA, UPO, Sevilla, 18-20 Septiembre 2013

Peer Reviewed