Piotr Matczak | Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (original) (raw)

Papers by Piotr Matczak

Data

Studies on society and the environment interface are often based on simple questionnaires that do... more Studies on society and the environment interface are often based on simple questionnaires that do not allow for an in-depth analysis. Research conducted with geo-questionnaires is an increasingly common method. However, even if data collected via a geo-questionnaire are available, the shared databases provide limited information due to personal data protection. In the article, we present open databases that overcome those limitations. They are the result of the iTre-es project concerning public opinion on the benefits provided by trees and shrubs in four different research areas. The databases provide information on the location of trees that are valuable to the residents, the distances from the respondents’ residence place, their attitude toward tree removal, socio-demographic variables, attachment to the place of life, and environmental attitudes. The presentation of all these aspects was possible thanks to the appropriate aggregation of the results. A method to anonymize the resp...

Studia z Polityki Publicznej

W Polsce, podobnie jak w innych krajach, brakuje jednoznacznego i uzgodnionego wyjaśnienia przycz... more W Polsce, podobnie jak w innych krajach, brakuje jednoznacznego i uzgodnionego wyjaśnienia przyczyn obniżenia poziomu przestępczości odnotowanego w ostatnich kilkunastu latach. W artykule analizowany jest wpływ systemów monitoringu wizyjnego na straty powodowane przez trzy kategorie przestępstw: (a) kradzież samochodu, kradzież z włamaniem do samochodu, kradzież z samochodu; (b) uszkodzenie samochodu; (c) rozbój. Aby odpowiedzieć na pytanie, czy instalowanie systemów monitoringu wizyjnego ma wpływ na bezpieczeństwo, badane są ekonomiczne skutki instalowania kamer w ośmiu polskich miastach, w których systemy monitoringu wizyjnego są dobrze rozwinięte (Gdańsk, Katowice, Kielce, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań, Warszawa, Wrocław). Określenie wpływu instalacji kamer na zmniejszenie strat spowodowanych przestępczością pozwala ocenić przydatność kamer dla poprawy bezpieczeństwa publicznego.Analiza danych przeprowadzona na potrzeby artykułu częściowo potwierdza skuteczność monitoringu miejskiego w za...

GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2016

In Poland floods are the predominant natural disasters entailing large losses. In the paper it is... more In Poland floods are the predominant natural disasters entailing large losses. In the paper it is presented how flood risk management is organized in Poland, and how the approaches to flood risk in the country evolve. The focus is on organisation of flood risk management. Public policies and activities of public administration are analysed. Based on data collected within the EU 7th Framework Project STAR-FLOOD, the description of the Polish Flood Risk Management Strategies and Governance arrangements is provided. Next, the dynamics of the Polish flood risk management strategies and governance arrangements and evaluation of arrangements are presented. The reliance on structural defence is indicated, as a stable component of the floor risk management. Also main factors triggering changes and four main turning points opening windows of opportunity for Polish flood management system are identified: two of them are related to socio-political development and two to flood event. The Polish flood risk management system has experienced changes (i.e. establishment of a new crisis management system), while preserving its core functional characteristics at the same time (reliance on structural defence). Sectorial management with little coordination at the level of ministries renders the flood risk management in Poland being more like bargain and competition than collaborative and consensus-driven type of governance. The Polish Flood Risk Governance Arrangement is characterised as having a strong capacity to buffer shock events, as shown by the major 1997 and 2010 floods. An overall weakness of the Polish Arrangement is the lack of coordination and strategic management. Problems with effective spatial planning and a highly fragmented actors structure both within and between sub-arrangements are the main challenges for the Polish flood risk management.

Nature-Based Flood Risk Management on Private Land

In this chapter, we present the small retention programs that have been undertaken in the Polish ... more In this chapter, we present the small retention programs that have been undertaken in the Polish forests. The context of the programs is outlined with an emphasis on property rights, actors engaged, nature conservation and flood management aspects, and finally on the issues of up-scaling. After 1997 several small retention programs were introduced, reversing the earlier practice of drainage. The programs in the State Forests National Forest Holding consist in building a diverse range of small-scale, multi-functional retention facilities. The FRM aspect is more important in the mountain areas, while reducing forest fire risk is more important in the lowlands. Location of facilities was, in general, not problematic, as they were mostly built in the forests managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding. However, in particular locations, conflicts of interest or collisions between functions (wood production, nature conservation, etc.) occurred. Although the State Forests National Forest Holding manages the small retention programs, other stakeholders are engaged in planning small retentions also: the environmental protection administration, local governments, farmers, fishpond owners, etc. The program is based on a clear hierarchical managerial structure of the State Forests National Forest Holding, which makes the up-scaling aspect of the program straightforward.

Journal of Rural Cooperation, 2008

For poor areas dealing with economic decline, finding development engines is a crucial issue, and... more For poor areas dealing with economic decline, finding development engines is a crucial issue, and natural resources are often the only asset communities have. In the paper it is argued that concept of the network governance can be applied to understand the situation, where local sustainable development is desirable. In a qualitative case study of the Polish Drawienski National Park area, four barriers for the establishment of network governance were found: weakness of legal institutional framework including ambiguities about property rights; lack of bridging social capital; persistence of informal norms undermining public and formal operations; difficulties with undertaking multilateral collective action. As an alternative to network governance, the emerging structure takes a market or hierarchical form.

Despite many novelties in participation: participatory budgeting, citizens jury, deliberatice pol... more Despite many novelties in participation: participatory budgeting, citizens jury, deliberatice poll etc. the engagement of different stakeholders’ groups in the decision making processes concerning detailed planning issues (local spatial management plans, water management plans, the preservation management plans of the Natura 2000 sites) is usually based on the organization of open discussion meetings. The study looks at the social consultations regarding acceptance of local spatial management plans managed by Poznan City Hall and consultations concerning the preparation of water management plans managed by Regional Water Management Board in Poznan. The comparative analysis served to exhibit similarities and differences between the processes in terms of legal conditions, the organization of meetings, the length and the scale of the process and the actors engaged.

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Sociologica

Jednym z dyskutowanych aspektów partycypacji obywateli w zarządzaniu na poziomie lokalnym są proc... more Jednym z dyskutowanych aspektów partycypacji obywateli w zarządzaniu na poziomie lokalnym są procedury określane mianem budżetowania partycypacyjnego czy częściej – budżetów obywatelskich. Istotą partycypacji jest dialog władz lokalnych z obywatelami w zakresie redystrybucji zasobów publicznych, chociaż redystrybucja i alokacja to tylko jedna z licznych funkcji, jakie pełnią budżety obywatelskie w jednostkach samorządowych. W Polsce budżety obywatelskie są wdrażane coraz powszechniej, a analizy ich dotyczące mają często charakter studiów przypadku. W przedstawionym badaniu podjęto problem nie tyle samych wdrożeń, co zróżnicowania gmin w Wielkopolsce, które podejmują decyzję o wdrożeniu budżetu obywatelskiego. Główne pytania badawcze dotyczyły następujących kwestii: (1) Czy istnieje istotna różnica w zamożności gmin wdrażających i niewdrażających? oraz (2) Czy istnieje istotna różnica w aktywności społecznej w gminach wdrażających i niewdrażających? Wyniki analiz prowadzą do wskazani...

Ecosystem Services

This paper examined how the ecosystem services (ES) concept was employed as a tool for stakeholde... more This paper examined how the ecosystem services (ES) concept was employed as a tool for stakeholders from different social and professional worlds to deliberate about the management of Natura 2000 areas in Poland. Drawing from Framing Theory and discourse analysis, we analyzed public documents that were generated over a five-year period. We observed that many public debates were couched within the ES framework and related to management of a range of land cover categories. Our results also indicated the majority of public discussions were descriptive and neutral, with a focus on maintaining the flow of Provisioning, and Regulation and Maintenance services to local communities. Normative tones were adopted, particularly surrounding Cultural ES, despite the limited amount of time that stakeholders dedicated to exploring these topics. Our results reinforce the importance of considering the ES concept as a boundary object that maintains interpretive flexibility and focuses stakeholder attention on points of potential social conflict. The implications that emerge from this research are particularly relevant for protected areas, such as those found in Poland, which are reforming environmental protection plans and seeking communication tools to facilitate public participation, environmental sustainability, and more equitable policy outcomes.

European Civil Security Governance, 2015

Dealing with epidemics constitutes an undisputable part of civil security governance. Of all comm... more Dealing with epidemics constitutes an undisputable part of civil security governance. Of all communicable diseases, the pandemic influenza is probably the most feared by both policymakers and health practitioners (Kamradt-Scott, 2012, p. 90). However, due to high levels of uncertainty which require contentious political choices it also challenges the most common view of disaster management, which typically focuses on technical and natural disasters in a narrow sense. Pandemics are a type of risk of a supranational and sometimes even of a global scale. In case of an emergency, coordinated action is needed in order to control the spread of the illness within and across borders. At the same time, actions are undertaken basically within the national jurisdictions. Thus, there is a tension between nationally focused efforts and coordinative demands.

… Environmental Change

We argue that differences in the perception and governance of adaptation to climate change and ex... more We argue that differences in the perception and governance of adaptation to climate change and extreme weather events are related to sets of beliefs and concepts through which people understand the environment and which are used to solve the problems they face (mental models). Using data gathered in 31 in-depth interviews with adaptation experts in Europe, we identify five basic stakeholder groups whose divergent aims and logic can be related to different mental models they use: advocacy groups, administration, politicians, researchers, and media and the public. Each of these groups uses specific interpretations of climate change and specifies how to deal with climate change impacts. We suggest that a deeper understanding and follow-up of the identified mental models might be useful for the design of any stakeholder involvement in future climate impact research processes. It might also foster consensus building about adequate adaptation measures against climate threats in a society.

Environmental Science & Policy

International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice

Weather, Climate, and Society

Proverbs are a part of traditional knowledge that has been increasingly acknowledged to be a valu... more Proverbs are a part of traditional knowledge that has been increasingly acknowledged to be a valuable source of information for environmental policies. Proverbs on weather convey the cumulated experience of generations that provide guidelines for agricultural practices, everyday decisions, and other situations. Besides the value the proverbs have in their cultural setting, they also serve as an indicator of objective meteorological patterns. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the Polish temperature-related proverbs. From the collected corpus of more than 2000 Polish proverbs, 28 were related to temperature and provided concrete predictions and so were selected for further analysis. The proverbs were tested on the basis of temperature (minimum, maximum, and mean) data from 20 weather stations, located in Poland and the neighboring countries, for the period of 1951–2012. Harbingers and forecasts were identified and coded as 0 or 1. Proverb accuracies were then compared ...

Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development

The most recent 2017 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals progress report highlighted th... more The most recent 2017 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals progress report highlighted the need to accelerate the pace of progress in order for the Sustainable Development Goals to be fully achieved. Responding to these concerns, the present commentary proposes four distinct, but interrelated approaches to accelerate the Zero Hunger Goal in transboundary climate change hotspots, regions which suffer from multiple stressors and vulnerabilities, and in which prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition often remains disproportionately high. These conceptual, programmatic and policy approaches are discussed drawing from a newly developed conceptual framework and referring to specific examples from climate change hotspots around the world.

Water

Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties... more Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties and a high amount of economic damage worldwide. To be ‘flood resilient’, countries should have sufficient capacity to resist, the capacity to absorb and recover, and the capacity to transform and adapt. Based on international comparative research, we conclude that six key governance strategies will enhance ‘flood resilience’ and will secure the necessary capacities. These strategies pertain to: (i) the diversification of flood risk management approaches; (ii) the alignment of flood risk management approaches to overcome fragmentation; (iii) the involvement, cooperation, and alignment of both public and private actors in flood risk management; (iv) the presence of adequate formal rules that balance legal certainty and flexibility; (v) the assurance of sufficient financial and other types of resources; (vi) the adoption of normative principles that adequately deal with distributional effe...

Journal of Rural Cooperation, 2008

Po 1989 roku daje się zauważyć w Polsce znaczącą ilość protestów społecznych. Pojawienie się prot... more Po 1989 roku daje się zauważyć w Polsce znaczącą ilość protestów społecznych. Pojawienie się protestów nie może być zaskoczeniem, gdyż wcześniej-przed 1989 rokiem-zasadniczo nie było miejsca na taki rodzaj wyrażania interesów. Tym niemniej ilość protestów może wywoły wać zdziwienie (Ekiert i Kubik 1997), a nawet zaniepokojenie obserwato rów sceny publicznej oraz działaczy sam orządowych (U lasiński 1996). Jednocześnie sytuacja ta rodzi pytania, co do m iejsca i znaczenia prote stów w ramach przekształcającego się społeczeństwa. * Artykuł powstał w ramach grantu KBN 1H02E01117.

Data

Studies on society and the environment interface are often based on simple questionnaires that do... more Studies on society and the environment interface are often based on simple questionnaires that do not allow for an in-depth analysis. Research conducted with geo-questionnaires is an increasingly common method. However, even if data collected via a geo-questionnaire are available, the shared databases provide limited information due to personal data protection. In the article, we present open databases that overcome those limitations. They are the result of the iTre-es project concerning public opinion on the benefits provided by trees and shrubs in four different research areas. The databases provide information on the location of trees that are valuable to the residents, the distances from the respondents’ residence place, their attitude toward tree removal, socio-demographic variables, attachment to the place of life, and environmental attitudes. The presentation of all these aspects was possible thanks to the appropriate aggregation of the results. A method to anonymize the resp...

Studia z Polityki Publicznej

W Polsce, podobnie jak w innych krajach, brakuje jednoznacznego i uzgodnionego wyjaśnienia przycz... more W Polsce, podobnie jak w innych krajach, brakuje jednoznacznego i uzgodnionego wyjaśnienia przyczyn obniżenia poziomu przestępczości odnotowanego w ostatnich kilkunastu latach. W artykule analizowany jest wpływ systemów monitoringu wizyjnego na straty powodowane przez trzy kategorie przestępstw: (a) kradzież samochodu, kradzież z włamaniem do samochodu, kradzież z samochodu; (b) uszkodzenie samochodu; (c) rozbój. Aby odpowiedzieć na pytanie, czy instalowanie systemów monitoringu wizyjnego ma wpływ na bezpieczeństwo, badane są ekonomiczne skutki instalowania kamer w ośmiu polskich miastach, w których systemy monitoringu wizyjnego są dobrze rozwinięte (Gdańsk, Katowice, Kielce, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań, Warszawa, Wrocław). Określenie wpływu instalacji kamer na zmniejszenie strat spowodowanych przestępczością pozwala ocenić przydatność kamer dla poprawy bezpieczeństwa publicznego.Analiza danych przeprowadzona na potrzeby artykułu częściowo potwierdza skuteczność monitoringu miejskiego w za...

GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2016

In Poland floods are the predominant natural disasters entailing large losses. In the paper it is... more In Poland floods are the predominant natural disasters entailing large losses. In the paper it is presented how flood risk management is organized in Poland, and how the approaches to flood risk in the country evolve. The focus is on organisation of flood risk management. Public policies and activities of public administration are analysed. Based on data collected within the EU 7th Framework Project STAR-FLOOD, the description of the Polish Flood Risk Management Strategies and Governance arrangements is provided. Next, the dynamics of the Polish flood risk management strategies and governance arrangements and evaluation of arrangements are presented. The reliance on structural defence is indicated, as a stable component of the floor risk management. Also main factors triggering changes and four main turning points opening windows of opportunity for Polish flood management system are identified: two of them are related to socio-political development and two to flood event. The Polish flood risk management system has experienced changes (i.e. establishment of a new crisis management system), while preserving its core functional characteristics at the same time (reliance on structural defence). Sectorial management with little coordination at the level of ministries renders the flood risk management in Poland being more like bargain and competition than collaborative and consensus-driven type of governance. The Polish Flood Risk Governance Arrangement is characterised as having a strong capacity to buffer shock events, as shown by the major 1997 and 2010 floods. An overall weakness of the Polish Arrangement is the lack of coordination and strategic management. Problems with effective spatial planning and a highly fragmented actors structure both within and between sub-arrangements are the main challenges for the Polish flood risk management.

Nature-Based Flood Risk Management on Private Land

In this chapter, we present the small retention programs that have been undertaken in the Polish ... more In this chapter, we present the small retention programs that have been undertaken in the Polish forests. The context of the programs is outlined with an emphasis on property rights, actors engaged, nature conservation and flood management aspects, and finally on the issues of up-scaling. After 1997 several small retention programs were introduced, reversing the earlier practice of drainage. The programs in the State Forests National Forest Holding consist in building a diverse range of small-scale, multi-functional retention facilities. The FRM aspect is more important in the mountain areas, while reducing forest fire risk is more important in the lowlands. Location of facilities was, in general, not problematic, as they were mostly built in the forests managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding. However, in particular locations, conflicts of interest or collisions between functions (wood production, nature conservation, etc.) occurred. Although the State Forests National Forest Holding manages the small retention programs, other stakeholders are engaged in planning small retentions also: the environmental protection administration, local governments, farmers, fishpond owners, etc. The program is based on a clear hierarchical managerial structure of the State Forests National Forest Holding, which makes the up-scaling aspect of the program straightforward.

Journal of Rural Cooperation, 2008

For poor areas dealing with economic decline, finding development engines is a crucial issue, and... more For poor areas dealing with economic decline, finding development engines is a crucial issue, and natural resources are often the only asset communities have. In the paper it is argued that concept of the network governance can be applied to understand the situation, where local sustainable development is desirable. In a qualitative case study of the Polish Drawienski National Park area, four barriers for the establishment of network governance were found: weakness of legal institutional framework including ambiguities about property rights; lack of bridging social capital; persistence of informal norms undermining public and formal operations; difficulties with undertaking multilateral collective action. As an alternative to network governance, the emerging structure takes a market or hierarchical form.

Despite many novelties in participation: participatory budgeting, citizens jury, deliberatice pol... more Despite many novelties in participation: participatory budgeting, citizens jury, deliberatice poll etc. the engagement of different stakeholders’ groups in the decision making processes concerning detailed planning issues (local spatial management plans, water management plans, the preservation management plans of the Natura 2000 sites) is usually based on the organization of open discussion meetings. The study looks at the social consultations regarding acceptance of local spatial management plans managed by Poznan City Hall and consultations concerning the preparation of water management plans managed by Regional Water Management Board in Poznan. The comparative analysis served to exhibit similarities and differences between the processes in terms of legal conditions, the organization of meetings, the length and the scale of the process and the actors engaged.

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Sociologica

Jednym z dyskutowanych aspektów partycypacji obywateli w zarządzaniu na poziomie lokalnym są proc... more Jednym z dyskutowanych aspektów partycypacji obywateli w zarządzaniu na poziomie lokalnym są procedury określane mianem budżetowania partycypacyjnego czy częściej – budżetów obywatelskich. Istotą partycypacji jest dialog władz lokalnych z obywatelami w zakresie redystrybucji zasobów publicznych, chociaż redystrybucja i alokacja to tylko jedna z licznych funkcji, jakie pełnią budżety obywatelskie w jednostkach samorządowych. W Polsce budżety obywatelskie są wdrażane coraz powszechniej, a analizy ich dotyczące mają często charakter studiów przypadku. W przedstawionym badaniu podjęto problem nie tyle samych wdrożeń, co zróżnicowania gmin w Wielkopolsce, które podejmują decyzję o wdrożeniu budżetu obywatelskiego. Główne pytania badawcze dotyczyły następujących kwestii: (1) Czy istnieje istotna różnica w zamożności gmin wdrażających i niewdrażających? oraz (2) Czy istnieje istotna różnica w aktywności społecznej w gminach wdrażających i niewdrażających? Wyniki analiz prowadzą do wskazani...

Ecosystem Services

This paper examined how the ecosystem services (ES) concept was employed as a tool for stakeholde... more This paper examined how the ecosystem services (ES) concept was employed as a tool for stakeholders from different social and professional worlds to deliberate about the management of Natura 2000 areas in Poland. Drawing from Framing Theory and discourse analysis, we analyzed public documents that were generated over a five-year period. We observed that many public debates were couched within the ES framework and related to management of a range of land cover categories. Our results also indicated the majority of public discussions were descriptive and neutral, with a focus on maintaining the flow of Provisioning, and Regulation and Maintenance services to local communities. Normative tones were adopted, particularly surrounding Cultural ES, despite the limited amount of time that stakeholders dedicated to exploring these topics. Our results reinforce the importance of considering the ES concept as a boundary object that maintains interpretive flexibility and focuses stakeholder attention on points of potential social conflict. The implications that emerge from this research are particularly relevant for protected areas, such as those found in Poland, which are reforming environmental protection plans and seeking communication tools to facilitate public participation, environmental sustainability, and more equitable policy outcomes.

European Civil Security Governance, 2015

Dealing with epidemics constitutes an undisputable part of civil security governance. Of all comm... more Dealing with epidemics constitutes an undisputable part of civil security governance. Of all communicable diseases, the pandemic influenza is probably the most feared by both policymakers and health practitioners (Kamradt-Scott, 2012, p. 90). However, due to high levels of uncertainty which require contentious political choices it also challenges the most common view of disaster management, which typically focuses on technical and natural disasters in a narrow sense. Pandemics are a type of risk of a supranational and sometimes even of a global scale. In case of an emergency, coordinated action is needed in order to control the spread of the illness within and across borders. At the same time, actions are undertaken basically within the national jurisdictions. Thus, there is a tension between nationally focused efforts and coordinative demands.

… Environmental Change

We argue that differences in the perception and governance of adaptation to climate change and ex... more We argue that differences in the perception and governance of adaptation to climate change and extreme weather events are related to sets of beliefs and concepts through which people understand the environment and which are used to solve the problems they face (mental models). Using data gathered in 31 in-depth interviews with adaptation experts in Europe, we identify five basic stakeholder groups whose divergent aims and logic can be related to different mental models they use: advocacy groups, administration, politicians, researchers, and media and the public. Each of these groups uses specific interpretations of climate change and specifies how to deal with climate change impacts. We suggest that a deeper understanding and follow-up of the identified mental models might be useful for the design of any stakeholder involvement in future climate impact research processes. It might also foster consensus building about adequate adaptation measures against climate threats in a society.

Environmental Science & Policy

International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice

Weather, Climate, and Society

Proverbs are a part of traditional knowledge that has been increasingly acknowledged to be a valu... more Proverbs are a part of traditional knowledge that has been increasingly acknowledged to be a valuable source of information for environmental policies. Proverbs on weather convey the cumulated experience of generations that provide guidelines for agricultural practices, everyday decisions, and other situations. Besides the value the proverbs have in their cultural setting, they also serve as an indicator of objective meteorological patterns. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the Polish temperature-related proverbs. From the collected corpus of more than 2000 Polish proverbs, 28 were related to temperature and provided concrete predictions and so were selected for further analysis. The proverbs were tested on the basis of temperature (minimum, maximum, and mean) data from 20 weather stations, located in Poland and the neighboring countries, for the period of 1951–2012. Harbingers and forecasts were identified and coded as 0 or 1. Proverb accuracies were then compared ...

Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development

The most recent 2017 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals progress report highlighted th... more The most recent 2017 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals progress report highlighted the need to accelerate the pace of progress in order for the Sustainable Development Goals to be fully achieved. Responding to these concerns, the present commentary proposes four distinct, but interrelated approaches to accelerate the Zero Hunger Goal in transboundary climate change hotspots, regions which suffer from multiple stressors and vulnerabilities, and in which prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition often remains disproportionately high. These conceptual, programmatic and policy approaches are discussed drawing from a newly developed conceptual framework and referring to specific examples from climate change hotspots around the world.

Water

Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties... more Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties and a high amount of economic damage worldwide. To be ‘flood resilient’, countries should have sufficient capacity to resist, the capacity to absorb and recover, and the capacity to transform and adapt. Based on international comparative research, we conclude that six key governance strategies will enhance ‘flood resilience’ and will secure the necessary capacities. These strategies pertain to: (i) the diversification of flood risk management approaches; (ii) the alignment of flood risk management approaches to overcome fragmentation; (iii) the involvement, cooperation, and alignment of both public and private actors in flood risk management; (iv) the presence of adequate formal rules that balance legal certainty and flexibility; (v) the assurance of sufficient financial and other types of resources; (vi) the adoption of normative principles that adequately deal with distributional effe...

Journal of Rural Cooperation, 2008

Po 1989 roku daje się zauważyć w Polsce znaczącą ilość protestów społecznych. Pojawienie się prot... more Po 1989 roku daje się zauważyć w Polsce znaczącą ilość protestów społecznych. Pojawienie się protestów nie może być zaskoczeniem, gdyż wcześniej-przed 1989 rokiem-zasadniczo nie było miejsca na taki rodzaj wyrażania interesów. Tym niemniej ilość protestów może wywoły wać zdziwienie (Ekiert i Kubik 1997), a nawet zaniepokojenie obserwato rów sceny publicznej oraz działaczy sam orządowych (U lasiński 1996). Jednocześnie sytuacja ta rodzi pytania, co do m iejsca i znaczenia prote stów w ramach przekształcającego się społeczeństwa. * Artykuł powstał w ramach grantu KBN 1H02E01117.

The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU member states to produce and ... more The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU member states to produce and implement river basin management plans, which are to be designed and updated via participatory processes that inform, consult with, and actively involve all interested stakeholders. The assumption of the European Commission is that stakeholder participation, and institutional adaptation and procedural innovation to facilitate it, are essential to the effectiveness of river basin planning and, ultimately, the environmental impact of the Directive. We analyzed official documents and the WFD literature to compare implementation of the Directive in EU member states in the initial WFD planning phase (2000–2009). Examining the development of participatory approaches to river basin management planning, we consider the extent of transformation in EU water governance over the period. Employing a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, we map the implementation " trajectories " of 13 member states, and then provide a detailed examination of shifts in river basin planning and participation in four member states (Germany, Sweden, Poland and France) to illustrate the diversity of institutional approaches observed. We identify a general tendency towards increased, yet circumscribed, stakeholder participation in river basin management in the member states examined, alongside clear continuities in terms of their respective pre-WFD institutional and procedural arrangements. Overall, the WFD has driven a highly uneven shift to river basin-level planning among the member states, and instigated a range of efforts to institutionalize stakeholder involvement—often through the establishment of advisory groups to bring organized stakeholders into the planning process.