Abstract

GUARDAMAGNA, Melina  and  REYES, Malena. The challenge of implementing participation in public policies regarding territorial development. Econ. soc. territ [online]. 2019, vol.19, n.59, pp.1003-1033. ISSN 2448-6183.  https://doi.org/10.22136/est20191284.

Nowadays, few would question citizen participation as an essential strategy for legitimizing public policies. However, rhetoric surrounding participation does not necessarily imply truly democratic instances of citizen involvement. The territorial planning policy in Mendoza, Argentina is analyzed, where citizen participation has been implemented heterogeneously from 2006 to the present. Although the mechanisms envisaged have been formally met, it is evident that citizen contributions have not had a substantial impact on territorial policy development.

Keywords : territorial planning; citizen participation; democracy.