Negotiation, decision-making, and conflict in development projects implementation: an analysis of the participation of affected stakeholders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/hf9n6b91Keywords:
negotiation, consultation, development projects, citizen participation, decision-makingAbstract
This article analyzes the role of negotiation and consultation as decision-making modalities in the implementation of development projects, highlighting their influence on the participation of affected actors and on the sustainability of public decisions. From a qualitative approach and through a multiple case study, three projects developed in China, Rwanda and Mexico were examined, with the purpose of identifying similarities, differences and causal relationships between the participatory processes and the results obtained. The analysis was supported by documentary review, qualitative matrices, thematic coding, comparative case analysis and content analysis. The findings show that projects that incorporated effective negotiation and consultation processes achieved higher levels of social ownership, legitimacy, and sustainability. In contrast, projects characterized by limited or symbolic consultations faced resistance, delays, increased costs, and even partial cancellations. It is concluded that effective negotiation is an indispensable tool for the collective construction of decisions in development projects, since it facilitates dialogue between heterogeneous actors and reduces the risk of conflicts and social unacceptability. Likewise, the usefulness of merely informative consultations is questioned, proposing a redefinition of these processes towards more inclusive, participatory and consensus-oriented models.
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