Participation et décision publique

de l’incantation à la mise en oeuvre d’une évaluation démocratique

Abstract

Because citizens of modern democracies lack opportunities to participate in public decision-making, they often seize the opportunity to exert counterpower after a decision has been made. This mode of involvement results in frequent questioning and even blocking of public projects, which could be avoided if the counterpower and power were expressed simultaneously (i.e., via negotiation) during the decision-making process. By involving the public in decision-making, democratic evaluation theoretically allows the simultaneous exercise of power and counterpower. This article argues that democratic evaluation is only viable when empowerment evaluation, participatory evaluation, and multicriteria evaluation are incorporated as stages in the same evaluation process. The multicriteria method, in particular, seems to be a useful tool in negotiation and a preferred decision-making aid in democratic evaluation.