Swiss direct democracy : the dark side of Habermas : an inquiry into participation for sustainability
(2013) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM01 20131LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- Stakeholders’ participation has been recognized as a pillar for a transition toward a more sustainable society. However, there is little empirical evidence concerning the viability of participation mechanisms at large scale. This research analyzes a popular referendum process in Switzerland against a law that would have been a step toward a low-carbon society in the Canton of Fribourg. Aiming to investigate the citizens’ reasons to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the critical theory of Habermas has been used as a framework. A first round of citizens’ interviews revealed that instrumental valuation of environment and sustainability is not the main driver leading citizens to take non-sustainable decisions. Furthermore, aiming to investigate the reasons... (More)
- Stakeholders’ participation has been recognized as a pillar for a transition toward a more sustainable society. However, there is little empirical evidence concerning the viability of participation mechanisms at large scale. This research analyzes a popular referendum process in Switzerland against a law that would have been a step toward a low-carbon society in the Canton of Fribourg. Aiming to investigate the citizens’ reasons to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the critical theory of Habermas has been used as a framework. A first round of citizens’ interviews revealed that instrumental valuation of environment and sustainability is not the main driver leading citizens to take non-sustainable decisions. Furthermore, aiming to investigate the reasons of the low participation at the referendum, Lukes’s radical view of power has been used. A second round of interviews revealed two main mechanisms that fostered citizens’ inaction toward voting: a low deliberation quality and a lack of deliberation space. These results show the effects of a public sphere being inactivated through economic and power-related imperatives. The revealed inactivation mechanisms suggest that new deliberation forms and spaces have to be investigated and fostered for a transition toward a sustainable society through participation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/3810716
- author
- Späth, Leonhard LU
- supervisor
-
- Turaj Faran LU
- organization
- course
- MESM01 20131
- year
- 2013
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Switzerland, Lukes, sustainability science, Habermas, referendum
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2013:008
- language
- English
- id
- 3810716
- date added to LUP
- 2013-06-13 15:50:17
- date last changed
- 2013-06-13 15:50:17
@misc{3810716, abstract = {{Stakeholders’ participation has been recognized as a pillar for a transition toward a more sustainable society. However, there is little empirical evidence concerning the viability of participation mechanisms at large scale. This research analyzes a popular referendum process in Switzerland against a law that would have been a step toward a low-carbon society in the Canton of Fribourg. Aiming to investigate the citizens’ reasons to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the critical theory of Habermas has been used as a framework. A first round of citizens’ interviews revealed that instrumental valuation of environment and sustainability is not the main driver leading citizens to take non-sustainable decisions. Furthermore, aiming to investigate the reasons of the low participation at the referendum, Lukes’s radical view of power has been used. A second round of interviews revealed two main mechanisms that fostered citizens’ inaction toward voting: a low deliberation quality and a lack of deliberation space. These results show the effects of a public sphere being inactivated through economic and power-related imperatives. The revealed inactivation mechanisms suggest that new deliberation forms and spaces have to be investigated and fostered for a transition toward a sustainable society through participation.}}, author = {{Späth, Leonhard}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}}, title = {{Swiss direct democracy : the dark side of Habermas : an inquiry into participation for sustainability}}, year = {{2013}}, }