Balancing the expectations of stakeholders in public participation processes

This paper focuses on the interplay of expectations, empowerment and outcomes in Local Access Forums (LAFs), the stakeholder groups created in response to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Recent studies of participatory exercises in governance have indicated that organisers and participants are frequently dissatisfied with the outcomes of participation. Two LAFs have been analysed in order to understand the different expectations and outcomes in the forums through a framework deriving from Lukes’ views of power. Use of the concept of Depotentia (removal of empowerment) highlights satisfactory outcomes for organisers and participants and how they can be achieved.