Krzysztof Paweł Kądzielski
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Kądzielski K., The Idea of Social Participation. A Study of the Activities of the Stocznia Foundation under the Od Diagnozy do Strategii Program, “Polish Journal of Political Science”, 2022, Vol. 8, Issue 4, pp. 14–24, DOI: 10.58183/pjps.04042022.
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to answer the question: Through what activities the Stocznia Foundation ensures the idea of social participation in society? That idea assumes that social groups actively participate for the benefit of social development in cooperation with municipal authorities and third-sector organizations. Stocznia is a non-governmental organisation and an aid institution providing services in the areas that improve building a conscious, safe and wise society, actively involved in the activities for the common good. The Od diagnozy do strategii project organized by the Stocznia Foundation, is the document that describes the citizens’ participation in public projects and the process of planning an effective strategy for achieving selected goals. The Foundation is an integral part of the preparation strategy for civic participation, which is based on the analysis of the practical involvement of stakeholder groups in the creation of real plans for the development of the local environment. This article is part of the research devoted to the Stocznia Foundation and its activities for the benefit of the society, especially the idea of social participation and the security sphere related to it.
Keywords: societal security, third sector, society, social participation, social innovations, strategy
Introduction
The Stocznia Foundation operates under the provisions of the Foundations Act of 6 April 1984[1] and the provisions of its statute. Its main objective is “to develop and implement social innovations, support the development of civil society and civic participation,[I] use the scientific achievements and methodology of social sciences to create knowledge useful for diagnosing the needs and solving social problems as well as designing and implementing pro-development projects, especially at the local level, and creating and widely disseminating knowledge and information resources, in particular as regards diagnosing problems and stimulating social activity.”[II] These assumptions are aimed at increasing public awareness, modeling a higher standard of living for the citizens, as well as their active involvement in creating the common good.[2]
One of the important tasks carried out by this Foundation is participating in the collective life of the people. Active participation in the life of the community and building mutual relations means that we can identify with other individuals to a greater extent than if we remained in the passive sphere. The process of participation enables conscious changes in socio-political life, thus taking care of one’s personal interests and those of the community. Considering the area of social participation from the society’s perspective, attention should be paid to the participation of the elderly and people at risk of exclusion (social or technological),[3] who, due to their health condition or insufficient knowledge about the possibility of participation, are involved to a small extent. That area is important for the Stocznia Foundation, which is indicated in its statute.[4]
The importance of the Stocznia support activity is evidenced not only by the implementation of tasks aimed at counteracting social exclusion, but also by the dimension of its assistance in ensuring security of social relations,[5] which is manifested in the issue of certainty. As Jerzy Stańczyk says: “The essence of security based on guarantees of inviolable survival and developmental freedoms of security is certainty. It is a condition of both components and may be objective or subjective. Security in a synthetic sense can therefore be defined as the objective certainty of the guarantee of inviolable survival and development freedoms.”[6] This issue is expanded by Janusz Świniarski, who – apart from „certainty of existence” – also includes „balance with the inherently conflict-inducing environment” and „life in prosperity and satisfaction”[7] among the positive values of security.[8] As regards societal security, the adjective societal plays a key role, which in the strict sense indicates the human being as the central object of interest. Taking into account the conceptual spectrum, one can distinguish different theoretical schools (Copenhagen school,[9] Japanese school[10]) that influenced the contemporary understanding and perception of societal security as well as the related fields.[11] The essence of human identity in the understanding and perception of collective life was brilliantly captured by Roman Dmowski in Myśli nowoczesnego Polaka (Thoughts of a Modern Pole) referring to the concept of a citizen and the need to feel closeness with society: “I am one not only because I speak Polish, but others who speak the same language are spiritually closer to me and more understandable to me, that some of my personal affairs unite me more closely with them than with strangers, but also because, apart from the sphere of personal and individual life, I know the collective life of the nation of which I am a part […].”[12] The determinants of societal security and its perception also depend on the current state (environment) in which it is located.[13] It is possible to distinguish a state of normal understanding of this concept over time as absence of social threats,[14] where all social protection systems function properly. However, the situation is different during the situations of crisis and related social conflicts, affecting specific social groups and state structures.[15] Due to the article’s subject matter, the author leaves out the situations other than the situations of its proper functioning.
Social participation in the document entitled: Od Diagnozy do Strategii
The idea of social participation is one of the forms of social involvement in making informed decisions in social life. Active participation makes it possible to create a common vision of the future and strive to raise the current social level. Due to the universality of this idea, it is not intended for specific groups of stakeholders who uphold specific moral values, ideological, and religious views, or social status and education. Active civic participation is a way to getting acquainted with the planning sphere, establishing contacts with other social groups showing similar concern for social issues at the local level.[16] An important function is also the willingness of public and civil authorities to act together,[17] as well as an appropriate culture of consultation.[18] It is possible as a result of the involvement of the participating parties through whom “citizens and their groups can articulate their interests, exercise rights and fulfill their duties, as well as mediate on contentious issues”[19] to facilitate the coordination of the process. Social innovation that is mentioned in this document plays an important role in particular in those sectors where the current innovation system is unreliable.[20]
Public participation in the creation and implementation of the idea of innovation can take the form of measuring user satisfaction (reviews) in projects that are carried out. A different though equally important role in terms of existing social problems is played by stakeholder groups, which, based on their knowledge and noticing dilemmas from a close perspective, can suggest ways to solve them. They may have an open character, where social groups express the preferences of their members in relation to the ideas presented by local government bodies, or a closed character, based on specific options. It should be noted that this improves the quality of public services by eliminating defective elements in the innovation cycle. The situation is slightly different when in this process providers of social services are the citizens themselves or the organizations at the head of them. Orders are provided either by local authorities or upon the initiative of stakeholder groups, e.g. when a local government is unable to fulfill the functions entrusted to it in this area for the benefit of the society.
The idea of social participation is visible in one of the projects implemented by the Stocznia Foundation under the name Od diagnozy do strategii[21] (From diagnosis to strategy). This document aims to bring closer the very essence of the process that takes place during participatory management. It consists of a detailed analysis of available data in the area of social innovation, collected by designated persons, the results of which were then transferred to the area of public intervention.[22] Also, the document was to develop and test a model tool to strengthen the capacity of local governments in the field of defining public service standards and planning their development-creating strategies. The project was implemented in all boroughs of Warsaw and several communities neighboring on the capital, in cooperation with the Centrum Komunikacji Społecznej (Social Communication Center).
In the Od diagnozy do strategii document, the participants’ selected techniques of data collection and their analysis (processing) of information[23] resulted in the preparation of a seven-stage assessment, of persons who were both directly and indirectly involved in the implementation of projects to support local innovation – such individuals are called stakeholders.[24] The opening stage was the identification of interested social groups by establishing a set of characteristics that can be influenced by short- and long-term strategies. On this basis, two attitudes were distinguished: negative and positive. A negative attitude can lead to the emergence of destructive relationships, aimed at creating conflict situations – posing a greater or lesser challenge (threat) to achieving a significant interest for the benefit of the society as a whole. The opposite (positive) attitude leads to the existence of partnership relations, thanks to which there was cooperation in the area of implementation of the main assumptions. Another element of the procedure was the assignment of these entities according to the type of role in relation to the strategy. This allocation was made by following a detailed analysis.[25] At the third stage of the project, the authors classified each of the stakeholders from the viewpoint of their impact on the organizational and social sphere of the planned strategy. For this purpose, the data obtained in the first two stages of the proceedings were used, along with the following questions: “What is the status (professional, social, age-related, etc.) of the stakeholders?”; “How are the stakeholders organized?”; “What is the structure of their organization, how are decisions made?”.[26] The fourth stage referred to the attributes specific for the stakeholder groups as well as those that they share.[27] No less important information was provided by the fifth stage, dealing with the sensitivity that occurs towards entities, and matters concerning: the attitude to the problem of environmental protection, discriminatory behaviour and people at risk of technological and social exclusion, issues relevant to current community policy and gender equality. The interviews were aimed at focusing on the degree of sensitivity of stakeholders to issues related to religion, ideology and interest in environmental issues (e.g. animal protection). Collections of such questions were designed to help in evaluation, determination of a given level of awareness and the degree of influence on matters that “by their general nature determine choices and decisions in a specific dimension, consequently knowledge in this area makes it possible to limit potential conflicts”.[28] The sixth stage was crucial due to the assessment of potential and interpersonal skills, and knowledge about the factors that may determine (influence) the point of view from the perspective of the ongoing work on the strategy.[29] The last stage took the form of a summary of previous findings, which served as recommendations for the effective implementation of the adopted strategy.[III]
The Od diagnozy do strategii project assumed the diversification of the sources of data acquisition (interviews, surveys); therefore the persons responsible for the implementation of the project participated in the evaluation of the obtained data, which were used to determine the accuracy of the decisions made in the strategic planning process.[30] The evaluation is based on the identification of the state of the environment and related spheres (dimensions) of projects, using the PESTLE[IV] and SWOT methodology. The PESTLE analysis makes it possible to examine those dimensions that may have a significant impact on the implementation of the project, e.g. legal and economic, environmental-spatial, social, political and technological areas.[31] The SWOT method, which complements the first one, focuses on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy and the opportunities and possible threats that exist for the success of the operation.[V] In the project Od diagnozy do strategii, two main possibilities for implementing the planned strategy were adopted: the resultant strategy – integrating the strengths of the parties with emerging opportunities, which combination is more effective in achieving a positive result,[32] and the conversion strategy – based on the reduction of the weaknesses of the parties, as well as the threats that they face, and then try to transform them into the first scenario (resultant strategy). The method which also works for the presented example in the effective planning of activities of the idea of civic participation is PCM (Project Cycle Management),[33] largely used during the conceptual stage of programming projects within the EU. One of the phases of Project Cycle Management is the use of a logical matrix that shows cause-and-effect relationships taking place at the level of analysis. Thanks to this, it is possible to use adequate resources (forces and means) in the actions taken.
The analyzed methods correspond with the goals and mission set by the Od diagnozy do strategii project, the purpose of which is to determine the directions of public intervention, where it is assumed to highlight the reasons for which the institution was created. In addition to the substantive and intellectual value[VI] of the organization, an important role is played by the people working in it and the public services and goods they provide. The adoption of such values is “the highest hierarchical point of reference and verification of all intentions of the strategy,”[34] which motivates society to participate in initiatives and identify the relevant factors.
Implementation of the project assumptions was possible thanks to the establishment of social relations among the participants in the task, which helped them identify their resources and then use them to increase the quality of their activities. The fundamental challenge as regards activation of society, as well as establishing partnerships, is the issue of participation in the decision-making process of public projects included in the strategy program. Given the possibility of problems occurring at any stage of executing the document, the participants must be able to think creatively and develop ideas that enable actors to overcome the impasses encountered.[35] A multifaceted and holistic approach to the exchange of information between entities in the field of cooperation was a key element influencing the outcome of the intervention planned in the document, which was also based on the principle of effectiveness.[36]
During the launch of the strategy under the Od diagnozy do strategii project, an important role is played by the verification of progress as regards implementation of the idea of participation in the area of social life, as well as supervision, which consists in monitoring and evaluating a given public intervention.[37] Monitoring is used to collect data and carry out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the obtained information[VII] on the elements influencing the strategy, which are an inseparable part of the project topic. In order to ensure smooth functioning of the financial system and transparency of spending (cost-effect), it is necessary to carry out evaluations and determine the value of public intervention. Based on information obtained at the first five stages of the strategy, it is possible to apply such a methodology which will enable the development of principles, criteria and standards[VIII] in the axiological field. The authors of the document also point out that the main elements (features) accompanying the evaluation to increase the effectiveness of planning are: reliability of observations, analytical approach to the chosen research techniques, regularity of the planned process, usefulness of information, as well as precise concentration of resources on challenges.[38]
During the final phase, the person responsible for evaluating the strategy (evaluator) should consider the correctness of the logic of the implemented action due to the effects: deadweight, shift and substitution.[39] The first effect usually occurs as a result of incorrectly used mechanisms – or more precisely, their inadequacy in the strategic process. The reason for this situation is poor interpretation during the diagnosis phase or selection of inadequate intervention tools, which results in redirecting the resulting benefits to the wrong group of recipients (stakeholders). The effects of a shift and substitution are interconnected because both refer to the negative impact of the benefits obtained, which were achieved at the expense of other people or social groups.
Synthesizing the process of the idea of social participation, which is the subject of interest of this article, six subsequent stages are observed that make up the continuous process: defining the main objectives, developing the implemented assessment and its detailed scope, developing an analysis of the existing environment, establishing transparent measures, using gatekeeping[40] in relation to the information collected (obtained through the monitoring system), as well as the presentation of the framework for the plan of the assumed work.[41] An equally important element of the analysis is the section on recommendations, which consists in removing those factors that may adversely affect the assumed effects of the activities carried out. Failure to take into account these components would indicate a low level of efficiency in the time spent on making efforts, strategies, material resources and resources in terms of people who contributed to the execution of the document.
Summary
The idea of civic participation enables the population to engage actively in the process of implementing innovations that have a significant impact on the local environment. It is also an effective tool with the use of which citizens can directly shape social policies of state authorities and speak out on issues important to them from the viewpoint of citizens. The key element of effective execution of the document being developed is to determine the content of the individual stages of implementation of strategic plans. Equally important from the viewpoint of the usefulness of such plans is to make a conscious and detailed analysis of the environment in which this innovation is to be implemented. The foundation of each strategic document based on social participation should be a diagnosis of social needs at the initial stage of work, without which further implementation of projects would fail the assumed effectiveness of the idea of civic participation. Considering the diagnosis as an early analysis of the environment allows for a precise perception of the needs and expectations of local stakeholder groups. Of course, the above analysis contained in this article is based on reliable administrative data and questions about the essence of public innovations contained in numerous surveys.[IX]
In response to the research thesis, the Stocznia Foundation, as part of its activities (based on the Od diagnozy do strategii project), promotes the idea of social participation, as well as encourages various social groups to participate actively in implementing new social innovations. The Foundation’s involvement of the citizens in decision-making in the area of development not only increases their awareness, but also shapes their worldview as regards such behavior in the future. Due to the fact that stakeholder groups involved in the idea of participation are the entities co-implementing the projects described in the analyzed document Od diagnozy do strategii, they best know the current social needs as well as the weaknesses of social policies. Creating and delivering social innovations, visible in the activities of the Shipyard Foundation for the activation of society in line with the aforementioned idea, meet the expectations of citizens and indirectly contribute to the sphere of societal security.
The analyses presented in this article are a continuation of a series of works on the activities of the Stocznia Foundation for the development of and assistance to the society, as a result of which the level of societal security increases.
Explanatory footnotes
[I]. In the literature on the subject, civic participation and social participation are used synonymously.
[II]. The statute of the Stocznia Foundation was drawn up on 06.02.2009, under the number Repertory A No. 337/2009.
[III]. The acquired information base directly translated into taking steps to withdraw a specific social group as implementers of the strategy or their inclusion in the work. The element included in the described stage is the correlation that occurs between decisions while showing the relationships in the long term.
[IV]. PESTLE/PESTEL Analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental).
[V]. The SWOT method expands the range of research based on PESTEL, because it gives weight to the essence of the subject’s component and their personal scope in a time perspective. As a result, such activities generate data on the importance of the characteristics forming the basis of the chosen strategy.
[VI]. This may include objectives, projects, undertakings and ongoing research and cooperation between stakeholders and other groups that meet the objectives pursued by the foundation or the civil society. This may lead to: an assumed increase in the level of trust, development of the area of activity, as well as greater broadly understood benefits.
[VII]. In order to use the collected information, it is necessary to base it on reliable reporting systems, which will allow for eliminating information that concerns institutions or persons in the implementation process and contains erroneous data.
[VIII]. The desire to abide by both the criteria and standards is based on the following principles: relevance (as regards social needs), efficiency and effectiveness (adequacy of the planned measures for the tools available) and sustainability (to complete implementation of the strategy and achieve a long-term impact).
[IX]. Surveys are designed to provide information as to which needs are preferred more than others by the stakeholders, as well as to obtain people’s opinions on the innovations carried out.
References
[1] Ustawa z dnia 6 kwietnia 1984 o fun dacjach, Dz.U. 1991 nr 46, poz. 203, [The Foundations Act of 6 April 1984, Journal of Laws 1991, No. 46, item 203].
[2] Statut Fundacji Stocznia, § 6, https://stocznia.org.pl/statut/, (access 05.07.2021). The common good in the literature on the subject is defined as the common value achieved by human com munities, which are related to the development of the natural capabilities of their members, the satisfaction of interests and respect for the rights of individuals while caring for greater social integration around specific goals.
[3] See: A. Skrabacz, Uwarunkowania tworzenia bezpieczeństwa społecznego w XXI wieku, in: Bezpieczeństwo społeczne: pojęcia, uwarunkowania, wyzwania, eds. A. Skrabacz, S. Sulowski, Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa 2012, pp. 53–57.
[4] Statut Fundacji Stocznia, op. cit., § 6.
[5] U. Beck, Społeczeństwo ryzyka. W drodze do innej rzeczywistości, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar 2002, p. 33.
[6] J. Stańczyk, Współczesne pojmowanie bezpieczeństwa, Instytut Studiów Politycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk 1996, p. 15.
[7] J. Świniarski, O naturze bezpieczeństwa. Prolegomena do zagadnień ogólnych, ULMAK 1997, pp. 173–174.
[8] Ibidem.
[9] One of the leading persons who represented the Copenhagen School is B. Buzan, who details the concept of “societal” security (societal security) and its significance in the post-Cold War era. See: B. Buzan, People, States and Fear: The National Security Problem in International Relations, Wheatsheaf Books Publisher 1983; 2nd reviewed edition: B. Buzan, People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era, Harvester Wheatsheaf 1991, pp. 7–12.
[10] The Japanese school was based on the concept of ‘freedom from needs’ in the sense of the guarantee of the inviolability of human and civil rights, the freedom to profess religion and conscience. W. Czajkowski, J. Piwowarski, Japońska koncepcja kreowania bezpieczeństwa, “Kultura bezpieczeństwa: Nauka – Praktyka – Refleksje”, 2016, No. 22, pp. 358–360; K.P. Marczuk, Bezpieczeństwo społeczne: potrzeba szerokiego ujęcia. Implikacje dla Polski, in: Bezpieczeństwo społeczne: pojęcia, uwarunkowania, wyzwania, eds. A. Skrabacz, S. Sulowski, Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa 2012, pp. 26–52.
[11] P.H. Liotta also mentions environmental safety (environmental security) which it classifies as so-called alternative concepts of security, based on the ecosystem, society or societies and individuals. See: P.H. Liotta, Through the Looking Glass: Creeping Vulnerabilities and the Reordering of Security, “Security Dialogue”, 2005, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 49–70. DOI: 10.1177/0967010605051924.
[12] Pol. “Jestem nim nie tylko dlatego, że mówię po polsku, że inni mówiący tym samym językiem są mi duchowo bliżsi i bardziej dla mnie zrozumiali, że pewne moje osobiste sprawy łączą mnie bliżej z nimi niż z obcymi, ale także dlatego, że obok sfery życia osobistego i indywidualnego, znam zbiorowe życie narodu, którego jestem cząstką”, See: R. Dmowski, Myśli nowoczesnego Polaka, Wydawnictwo Zachodnie 1943, p. 26.
[13] W. Kitler, Bezpieczeństwo narodowe RP: podstawowe kategorie, uwarunkowania, system, AON 2011, pp. 103–104.
[14] J. Gierszewski, Bezpieczeństwo społeczne: studium z zakresu teorii bezpieczeństwa narodowego, Difin 2013, pp. 268–277.
[15] See: K. Kądzielski, Social conflicts during of the operation of state structures in crisis situations in Poland. Securological and legal approach, “Polish Journal of Political Science”, 2021, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 23–49.
[16] Zarządzanie w samorządzie terytorialnym: najlepsze praktyki, eds. M. Zawicki, S. Mazur, J. Bober, MSAP 2004, pp. 11–24.
[17] See: J. Kwiatkowski, Partycypacja społeczna i rozwój społeczny, Agencja Wydawniczo-Reklamowa MT 2003, pp. 9–14.
[18] See: D. Długosz, J. Wygnański, Obywatele współdecydują. Przewodnik po partycypacji społecznej, Stowarzyszenie na rzecz Forum Inicjatyw Pozarządowych 2005, pp. 23–24.
[19] K. Gralak, Partycypacja społeczna i jej znaczenie w rozwoju turystyki, “Zeszyty Naukowe. Turystyka i Rekreacja”, 2018, Vol. 1, No. 21, p. 156.
[20] G. Mulgan, S. Tucker, R. Ali, et. al., Social innovation: what it is, why it matters, how it can be accelerated, The Young Foundation 2007, pp. 33–39, https://www.youngfoundation.org/publications/social-innovation-what-it-is-whyit-matters-how-it-can-be-accelerated, (access 08.07.2022).
[21] A. Bartosiewicz, J. Herbst, Ł. Ostrowski, et al., Od diagnozy do strategii, https://stocznia.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/oddiagnozydostrategii.pdf, (access 07.07.2021).
[22] Entities participating in the intervention have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the project assumptions, on the basis of which basic assumptions, as well as related objectives, can be developed. In addition, the parties submit important reasons for themselves through the implementation of the strategy, which is the last stage of work before undertaking supervision and verification of progress contained in the project document. Ibidem, p. 86.
[23] Ibidem, p. 99.
[24] M. Stachowiak-Kudła, Wartościowanie decyzji publicznych metodą konsultacji z interesariuszami, in: Prawo administracyjne w ujęciu interdyscyplinarnym, ed. B. Opaliński, Oficyna Wydawnicza Uczelni Łazarskiego 2014, pp. 51–68.
[25] People in a group must converge on their status, the set of potential resources they have or may have, as well as their gender, and their possible impact. A. Bartosiewicz, J. Herbst, Ł. Ostrowski, et al., Od diagnozy…, op. cit., p. 99.
[26] Ibidem, p. 100.
[27] Having similar interests by individual interested persons may or may not influence or lead to the formation of internal groups in relation to other participants in the strategy. Ibidem, p. 100.
[28] Ibidem, p. 100.
[29] This part of the preparation of the strategy paper, as the fourth stage, was implemented with the help of a set of previously developed questions: “What is their potential contribution on which the strategy can be based?”; “What are their limitations and weaknesses that need to be taken into account in the planned intervention of the strategy?”. Ibidem, p. 100.
[30] Ibidem, p. 101.
[31] Ibidem.
[32] Ibidem.
[33] PCM (Project Cycle Management) – is a way of implementing projects whose key assumption is to improve efficiency in the provision and organization of assistance. The main conclusions from the evaluation of the European Commission’s work within the OECD Development Committee included: incompetent project management; projects have a low degree of attractiveness for potential beneficiaries; disregard for the factors underlying the source or cause hazards and thus affecting viability of the project; and ignoring the experience gained from similar ventures. Podręcznik – Zarządzanie Cyklem Projektu, Ministerstwo Gospodarki i Pracy 2004, p. 6, http://pokl.wup.kielce.pl/files/podr_zarz_cykl_proj.pdf, (access 04.08.2021).
[34] A. Bartosiewicz, J. Herbst, Ł. Ostrowski, K. Starzyk, J.J. Wygnański, Od diagnozy…, op. cit., p. 103.
[35] The cooperating parties should maintain a continuous exchange of information with each other, as well as show mutual respect and respect for a different approach to the tasks carried out in the institutional and material areas. Ibidem, p. 105.
[36] Ibidem, p. 106.
[37] Ibidem, p. 110.
[38] Ibidem, p. 111.
[39] Ibidem, p. 112.
[40] Concept gatekeeping used by D.M. White is used in sociological sciences in order to specify selection of information, based not only on objectivity but also on experience. See: E. Maigret, Socjologia komunikacji i mediów, Oficyna Naukowa 2012, pp. 22–39, 40–68.
[41] Final result of the evaluation is to write detailed recommendations in relation to the analyzed document, because they determine its usefulness in the long run and the achievement of the assumed goals. One of the most important principles when presenting recommendations is their feasibility of implementation, and therefore the possibility of applying in practice (also during implementation). A. Bartosiewicz, J. Herbst, Ł. Ostrowski, et al., Od diagnozy…, op. cit., p. 113.