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Participatory democracy in question: The case of “the sea in debate”

Author

Listed:
  • François-Charles Wolff

    (LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique - Nantes Univ - IAE Nantes - Nantes Université - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises - Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Sociétés - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université)

  • Pierre-Alexandre Mahieu

    (LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique - Nantes Univ - IAE Nantes - Nantes Université - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises - Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Sociétés - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université)

  • Brice Trouillet

    (LETG - Nantes - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - LETG - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Nantes Univ - IGARUN - Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Humanités - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université)

  • Alexia Pigeault

    (LETG - Nantes - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - LETG - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Nantes Univ - IGARUN - Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Humanités - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université, CAPACITÉS SAS - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université)

  • Nicolas Rollo

    (LETG - Nantes - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - LETG - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 - UBO EPE - Université de Brest - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Nantes Univ - IGARUN - Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes - Nantes Université - pôle Humanités - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université)

Abstract

While participatory democracy invites all citizens to take part directly in the decision-making process, the selection of participants in public debates is a critical issue for the legitimacy of the resulting public choices. This paper examines this question in the context of the national public debate on offshore wind energy held in France in the first quarter of 2024. We study an original survey measuring spatial preferences for offshore wind energy in which both participants in the public debate and respondents from the general population were simultaneously surveyed. We find large differences between the two groups of respondents in terms of gender, age, and education, as well as in their spatial preferences for wind farm locations. Using an entropy balancing approach, we reject the hypothesis that these differences in spatial preferences are due to composition effects. These findings underscore the need for policymakers to exercise caution when interpreting the outcomes of public debates.

Suggested Citation

  • François-Charles Wolff & Pierre-Alexandre Mahieu & Brice Trouillet & Alexia Pigeault & Nicolas Rollo, 2026. "Participatory democracy in question: The case of “the sea in debate”," Post-Print hal-05473955, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05473955
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108916
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05473955v1
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