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UNIT 2 : VALUES , PUBLIC INTERESTS AND POLITICS IN PLANNING

UNIT 2 : VALUES , PUBLIC INTERESTS AND POLITICS IN PLANNING. Values and Norms in Planning. What are Values?

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UNIT 2 : VALUES , PUBLIC INTERESTS AND POLITICS IN PLANNING

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  1. UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS AND POLITICS IN PLANNING

  2. Values and Norms in Planning What are Values? • Values are broad ideas and beliefs that define what is proper or improper, or what is good or bad, in a given society or among members of a group; they serve as principles that govern behaviour. • Examples of Values: • Respect for authority is a common value; holiness is a religious value; patriotism, kindness and respect for the sanctity of life are important values in many societies. UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  3. Values and Norms in Planning What are Values? • Values are culture-based: through the process of socialization (or acculturation) individuals derive their values from the culture to which they belong (or with which they are associated). • Because values are culture-based, they tend to differ from culture to culture • Because culture is dynamic, values may change (go through transformation) over time UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  4. Values and Norms in Planning What about Norms? • Specific prescriptions of good behaviour that individuals are expected to put up in order to conform with the values of a society or group. They are the ‘dos’ and the ‘don’ts’ of that society or group. • In other words, norms are the visible manifestations of values UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  5. Values and Norms in Planning What about Norms? • Example: • Respect for authority (as a value) may be manifested by such routine behaviour as: • subjects bowing before their chief • children offering their seats to adults • students standing up when a teacher enters a classroom, etc UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  6. Values and Norms in Planning What about Norms? • Norms usually go with sanctions, which can be positive or negative • Good behaviour attracts reward, praise or commendation (positive sanctions) while bad behaviour attracts punishment (negative sanction) Why should planners be concerned about values and norms? UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  7. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics What is Public Interest? • ..“considerations affecting the good order and functioning of the community and government affairs, for the well-being of citizens.” • Also known as the ‘Common Good’ or ‘Public Purpose’ • Often no unanimously agreed public interest or purpose regarding issues addressed in planning UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  8. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics What is Public Interest? • Reality: • Several interests co-exist, some of which conflict • Planners have to deal with several Interest Groups who do not necessarily agree on what goals to pursue or how to achieve them. UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  9. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics How do Values, Ideologies and Politics Influence the Idea of ‘Public Interest’ in Public-Sector Planning? • Effects of Values: • What constitutes Public Interest reflect the values of the community for which planning is carried out. UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  10. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics How do Values, Ideologies and Politics Influence the Idea of ‘Public Interest’ in Public-Sector Planning? • Effects of Ideologies and Politics: • Planning is a political decision-making process; therefore determination of Public Interest tends to be influenced by the dominant political ideology of the day. • E.g. Left-Leaning Right-Leaning UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  11. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics How do Values, Ideologies and Politics Influence the Idea of ‘Public Interest’ in Public-Sector Planning? • Defining the Public Interest can also be influenced by the private ‘electoral interests’ of politicians who are at the helm of decision-making UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  12. Public Interests, Ideologies and Politics So, in reality, is there a single Public Interest in Planning? • The existence of several ‘publics’ (interest groups) with divergent interests within the bigger public • E.g. the poor, businesses, politicians, environmentalists, planners themselves, property owners, traditional rulers, etc. • The real challenge for planners is how to reconcile these divergent interests UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

  13. The Role of the Planner Does the Professional Planner have a Single Role to Play as far as Public-Sector Planning is Concerned? • The modern-day planner wears several caps. He is: • A technician (technocrat) • An advisor • A facilitator • A negotiator • An advocate • Etc UNIT 2: VALUES, PUBLIC INTERESTS, POLITICS

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