Testing the value of public participation in Germany: Theory, operationalization and a case study on the evaluation of participation

This paper examines the implications posed by the European Climate Protection Plan and the German Energy Transition. Both involve social conflicts regarding technical feasibility, norms, and values. Technological expertise alone is insufficient to resolve these normative questions and conflicts. In addition to technological expertise, social and communicative competence is therefore needed to deal with the social and cultural challenges of an energy transition. One method to cope with conflicts that arise as a result of the energy transition refers to the use of citizen participation. Many analysts of participatory processes suggest that participation, if done properly, enhances acceptability and legitimacy of a transition process, contributes to improved efficiency of decisions, and promotes factual knowledge. This paper analyses and discusses these anticipated positive effects within a theoretical framework and a corresponding empirical case study.