Debatten und Entscheidungen

How can society be involved in sustainability policy? France has tried to meet this challenge with participatory decision-making processes. This is remarkable as the country's political system is otherwise characterised by its strong focus on the political power of the president and his government. Therefore, in this work, with the help of deliberative democracy theory, the author examines whether past French consultations in the field of sustainability can be seen as a reorientation of the country’s policymaking process, or whether the procedures were merely a symbolic participation policy on the part of the government.