The end of my Masters course is soon arriving, and I am now undertaking my thesis research. My research will focus on the role of civil society groups in facilitating public participation in policy making in the post-political city. The thesis will draw on three main strands of existing academic debate:
- The post-political city — Swyngedouw, Rancière
- Civil society — Gramsci, Gellner
- (The tyranny of) Public participation, democracy
To situate it in the real world, I will examine the public consultation process for the draft London Plan as my main case study, revealing the relationship between state and civil society through three built environment organisations.
At the moment I am planning my data collection processes, will keep posting updates here.