Lesson 6. Ground the assessment in the participation culture of the territory

Stakeholder engagement has become a common feature of policy planning and implementation and can take many different forms, from lobbying to public enquiry or participatory democracy. Each sector has its ‘culture of engagement’, based on memories of more or less successful experiences. The same applies to the culture of working in a ‘project’ format or conducting an assessment as part of a regular policy cycle. All these elements must be considered when designing a participatory assessment, which must be positioned according to the experience of local actors.

There may be an existing forum or an actor who is more legitimate to initiate the process. Furthermore, carrying out a participatory assessment can create the conditions for local actors to develop new relationships and new ways of working together.