Communication and Systems Department, Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
J Environ Manage. 2012 Jun 30;101:13-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.02.004. Epub 2012 Mar 3.
Participation is often presented as a 'good' thing and a fairer way to represent views and opinions outside narrow confines of interest and expertise. However, the roots of participatory approaches within research contexts are deep and numerous twists and turns demonstrate a confused and possibly confusing morphology with significant gaps and weaknesses. In this paper 'via the medium' of the POINT (Policy Influence of Indicators) research project we trace elements of the recent history of group participation in sustainable development and the emergence of focus on four areas, most significantly how participatory methods are used. In the absence of strong evidence to contrary we suggest that the issue of how participants engage in participation remains a significant weakness for the field. In order to counter the apparent gap we suggest that a certain degree of structure and process can provide the oeuvre of participatory approaches with a higher degree of transparency in the research process and, by focus on the use of a method called Triple Task, group participatory events can be encouraged to yield greater insights into the workings of groups of all kinds.
参与通常被视为一件“好事”，也是一种更公平的方式，可以在狭隘的利益和专业知识范围之外代表观点和意见。然而，研究背景下参与式方法的根源是深远的，众多的曲折表明了一种混乱且可能令人困惑的形态，存在着显著的差距和弱点。在本文中，我们通过 POINT（指标对政策的影响）研究项目“作为媒介”，追溯了群体参与可持续发展的近期历史以及关注四个领域的要素，其中最重要的是参与式方法的使用方式。在没有相反的有力证据的情况下，我们认为参与者如何参与的问题仍然是该领域的一个重大弱点。为了弥补明显的差距，我们建议在一定程度的结构和过程可以为参与式方法提供更高程度的透明度，通过关注一种称为三重任务的方法，可以鼓励群体参与事件产生更深入的了解各种群体的运作方式。
