The Use of Level Based Weight Assessment (LBWA) for Evaluating Public Participation on the Example of Rural Municipalities in the Region of Warmia and Mazury

Katarzyna Pawlewicz () and Iwona Cieślak
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Katarzyna Pawlewicz: Department of Socio-Economic Geography, Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland
Iwona Cieślak: Department of Socio-Economic Geography, Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Social participation is presently a legal requirement or a prerequisite for public policy decision-making both on the global and local scale. Therefore, both international (Agenda 21, Agenda 2030) and domestic documents (in Poland: Social Capital Development Strategy and Strategy for Responsible Development) emphasize the role of social participation for development. The co-participation of local residents and local authorities is thus an important factor that contributes to the success and well-being of local communities, improves local governments’ relations with the residents, and promotes a sense of belonging to a community and responsibility for the “common good”. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate public participation in rural municipalities of the Region of Warmia and Mazury and to analyze the influence of various indicators on the level of public participation. The four categories of public participation were selected based on a review of the literature and an analysis of data availability: public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. These categories were described with the use of fourteen indicators. Data for the study were obtained from publicly available statistical databases and a survey of local government representatives. Public participation was evaluated with the use of the Level Based Weight Assessment (LBWA) method, which revealed that public participation in rural municipalities of the Region of Warmia and Mazury is moderate and is influenced mostly by social consultations, legislative initiatives, and local government elections.

Keywords: public participation; public action; civic participation; electoral participation; obligatory participation; LBWA; synthetic indicator; multi-criteria analyses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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