Public participation and rural management of Brazilian waters: an alternative to the deficit model (Portuguese original version)

• Main Authors: Alessandro Luís Piolli, Maria Conceição da Costa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sissa Medialab 2008-12-01
• Series: JCOM: Journal of Science Communication
• Subjects: Democracy and science communication; Social participation to science and technology; Public engagement with science and technology
• Online Access: http://jcom.sissa.it/archive/07/04/Jcom0704%282008%29A01/Jcom0704%282008%29A01_po.pdf

The knowledge deficit model with regard to the public has been severely criticized in the sociology of the public perception of science. However, when dealing with public decisions regarding scientific matters, political and scientific institutions insist on defending the deficit model. The idea that only certified experts, or those with vast experience, should have the right to participate in decisions can bring about problems for the future of democracies. Through a type of "topography of ideas", in which some concepts from the social studies of science are used in order to think about these problems, and through the case study of public participation in the elaboration of the proposal of discounts in the fees charged for rural water use in Brazil, we will try to point out an alternative to the deficit model. This alternative includes a "minimum comprehension" of the scientific matters involved in the decision on the part of the participants, using criteria judged by the public itself.