Environmental democracy: An analysis of brownfields policymaking

Amy Anne Zeitler, Purdue University

Abstract

Many green theorists and policy analysts advocate democratizing environmental politics. However, despite increased attention to issues of environmental democracy, few people explain that there are many ways to be democratic, some of which serve environmental goals better than others do. This dissertation explores two key questions. First, can participatory, discursive, and communicative democratic theories be used to explain how inclusive, discussion-based environmental politics might work in practice? Second, what are the relationships among participation, issue framing, and policy design and how do these relationships influence the practical realities of environmental politics? Participatory, discursive, and communicative democratic theories provide the best normative vision for achieving fair and long-lasting solutions to environmental problems. Yet they insufficiently address several practical considerations, such as process manageability, flexibility, and the role of professional neutrals. This study opens a dialogue between democratic theories and the practical techniques of facilitation, which offers tools for identifying interests, fostering open communication, and satisfying diverse needs simultaneously. At the same time, this dialogue identifies an underdeveloped point in the facilitation literature: the importance of public participation and its relationships to framing and policy design. In order to explore these relationships, this project examines the decision-making processes of the Northwest Indiana Brownfields Redevelopment Project. Using data collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, this investigation shows how participation, framing, and policy design are interconnected and reciprocal: participation shapes framing which in turn shapes policy designs, and policy designs reinforce patterns of participation and issue framing. This case study also illustrates how the values of dominant groups become the driving force behind discussions and eventual policy designs, thereby shedding new light on how political power operates within discussion-based politics. However, despite initial expectations that the case would foster democratic policymaking, its inability to foster broad stakeholder participation undermined its ability to uphold the principles of environmental democracy.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Bartlett, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Political science

COinS