Puzzling stakeholder views for long-term planning in the bio-economy: A back-casting application. (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sisto, Roberta; van Vliet, Mathijs; Prosperi, Maurizio
• Is Part Of: Futures. Volume 76(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 42
• Page End: 54
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: Stakeholders -- Participative approaches -- Back-casting -- Bio-economy -- Puzzling -- Powering; Economic forecasting -- Periodicals; Technological forecasting -- Periodicals; Economic policy -- Periodicals; Prévision économique -- Périodiques; Prévision technologique -- Périodiques; Politique économique -- Périodiques; Economic forecasting; Economic policy; Technological forecasting; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 330.0112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2015.04.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-3287

Abstract

Highlights: The paper explores the use of an adapted participatory back-casting in dealing with long term issues. Stakeholder participation may improve the quality of complex decisions. Speeding up the participatory process increased the number of participants. The proposed methodology enabled the powering and the puzzling processes. Abstract: Planning long-term actions in the South of Italy is often characterised by a 'vicious circle of non-participation'. Stakeholders are increasingly not aware of the relevant role they have in supporting policy-making processes, even if they are usually keen to express their opinions. The aim of the study is to suggest policy-makers and practitioners a way to change their approach to long-term strategies definition in areas with traditionally scarce experience in stakeholder participation and where 'good governance' often lacks. On the whole, empirical results are very positive. The study allowed us to combine both puzzling and powering required by long-term strategies with a positive effect on the democratisation of the policymaking. In particular, both the e-mail survey and the workshop were important moments to sharing knowledge with experts, to putting together the different visions from stakeholders and to drawing possible policy actions (puzzling). Moreover, the backcasting timeline that clearly indicates the sequence of events and the involved stakeholders, and the strategy's validation questionnaires can be intended as a step towards a guide as to how power can be organised for each stage of the process (powering).