DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE: Collective learning as a contribtuion to reflexive governance: its application to social and biodiversity protection policies of the European Union

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0007

Key words (English)

Economic Aspects; Scientific Research; Social Aspects

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: HPSE-CT-2002-50023

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 4.4 Life sciences for developing countries

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation
Section de psychologie
Psychologie sociale

Abstract (English)

Our proposal is that the antinomy to be overcome between socio- economic efficiency and democratic participation requires an inquiry into the reflexive processes of the constitution of systems of collective learning. The new political order in Europe calls for a deeper and interdisciplinary research on the relationship between governance and learning. Our first step aims at testing our hypothesis in two specific areas in order to reveal how the design of current institutional mechanisms expresses the present theoretical approaches to governance. In a subsequent step, we shall attempt better to construct our own theoretical position as well as to refine the conditions that make possible the realization of the objectives of democratic citizenship and of socio-economic efficiency of the European areas of governance.

- The first objective is to show that the contextual efficiency of an adequate governance depends on the reflexive and collective learning constraints that it itself engenders and that compels it to adjust to the cohesion and to the inevitable self-transformation of the contexts.
- The second objective is to test our hypothesis in the field of Social and Biodiversity Protection European Policies.
- The third objective is to guarantee a reflexive articulation between the two specific research projects and the research devoted to the general theory of governance.
- The fourth objective is the establishment of a collective learning process between the European research centres of our network such as to promote the establishment of a permanent, interdisciplinary network on governance.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0007