External publications

Why do participatory approaches fail? Advancing sustainable urban development in the European Arctic

Dorothea Wehrmann, Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak, Jacqueline Götze, Michał Łuszczuk, Arne Riedel
External Publications (2025)

in: Geographia Polonica 98 (3), 325-338

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0305
Open access

This article explores how participatory approaches and transnational cooperation can be advanced to advance multi-level governance in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on SDG 11 “Sustainable cities and communities”. Based on qualitative research in Finland and Sweden we show that participatory approaches fail due to a lack of administrative capacity, path dependencies, societal conflicts and power asymmetries between the actors involved, which limit the transformative scope and legitimacy of policies. We argue that central governments in particular need to take more responsibility, provide more guidance and invest in capacity building and community empowerment at the local level.

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