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Public Involvement in the London Mining Hearing Process

Thomsen, Eva LU (2013) STVK12 20131
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
Greenland constitutes one of the youngest democracies in the world and is a society characterised by significant social, economic and political inequality. Centuries as a Danish colony have left it with relatively weak institutional structures and with limited tradition for public dialogue. Today, as the country is at the verge of new large-scale industrial developments, calls for increasing public involvement in decision-making are mounting in a desire to strengthen the legitimacy of decisions. This thesis constitutes a case study of the hearing process on a proposed large-scale iron ore project by the company London Mining carried out in the autumn of 2012. The study is based on deliberative theory and argues that the hearing was... (More)
Greenland constitutes one of the youngest democracies in the world and is a society characterised by significant social, economic and political inequality. Centuries as a Danish colony have left it with relatively weak institutional structures and with limited tradition for public dialogue. Today, as the country is at the verge of new large-scale industrial developments, calls for increasing public involvement in decision-making are mounting in a desire to strengthen the legitimacy of decisions. This thesis constitutes a case study of the hearing process on a proposed large-scale iron ore project by the company London Mining carried out in the autumn of 2012. The study is based on deliberative theory and argues that the hearing was characterised by a number of challenges in terms of reaching its deliberative potential, most notably the ones arising from the structural inequalities that continue to pervade and segregate society. While the challenges associated with power asymmetries and inequality of resources are not easily accommodated by a simple redesign of the hearing, the possible gains from improving conditions for deliberation in Greenland are substantial, leading this thesis to argue that targeted and sustained efforts at strengthening the deliberative component of decision-making processes remains worthwhile and should be pursued. (Less)
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author
Thomsen, Eva LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Public Involvement in the London Mining Hearing Process - From the Perspective of Deliberative Theory
course
STVK12 20131
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
deliberation, deliberative democracy, public hearing, participation, legitimacy, involvement, consultation, Greenland, inequality, decision-making, inclusion
language
English
id
3972895
date added to LUP
2013-09-02 09:04:22
date last changed
2013-09-02 09:04:22
@misc{3972895,
  abstract     = {{Greenland constitutes one of the youngest democracies in the world and is a society characterised by significant social, economic and political inequality. Centuries as a Danish colony have left it with relatively weak institutional structures and with limited tradition for public dialogue. Today, as the country is at the verge of new large-scale industrial developments, calls for increasing public involvement in decision-making are mounting in a desire to strengthen the legitimacy of decisions. This thesis constitutes a case study of the hearing process on a proposed large-scale iron ore project by the company London Mining carried out in the autumn of 2012. The study is based on deliberative theory and argues that the hearing was characterised by a number of challenges in terms of reaching its deliberative potential, most notably the ones arising from the structural inequalities that continue to pervade and segregate society. While the challenges associated with power asymmetries and inequality of resources are not easily accommodated by a simple redesign of the hearing, the possible gains from improving conditions for deliberation in Greenland are substantial, leading this thesis to argue that targeted and sustained efforts at strengthening the deliberative component of decision-making processes remains worthwhile and should be pursued.}},
  author       = {{Thomsen, Eva}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Public Involvement in the London Mining Hearing Process}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}