Democracia directa en el ámbito local y conflictos socioambientales: plebiscitos comunales en San Pedro de la Paz y Peñalolén

Sebastián Araya Vasquez

doi:10.5354/0717-8980.2024.72205

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Democracia directa en el ámbito local y conflictos socioambientales: plebiscitos comunales en San Pedro de la Paz y Peñalolén

Authors

Sebastián Araya Vasquez Universidad de Chile https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6616-6742

Vol. 22 No. 42 (2024): Los desafíos de la gestión pública frente a la crisis climática y ambiental: actores, instituciones y dinámicas

https://doi.org/10.5354/0717-8980.2024.72205

Abstract

This article analyzes whether the processes of communal plebiscites can help to appease socio-environmental conflicts. For this purpose, a comparative study is made of two cases of communal plebiscites within the few that have materialized since the return to democracy to date, carried out in the communes of Peñalolén (2011) and San Pedro de la Paz (2019), both related to the approval or rejection of the new Communal Regulatory Plan or modifications to it, where the environmental component was the central issue or had a relevant role in the discussion. As a result of the research, it was discovered that the tool of the call for a citizen plebiscite "from below" was fundamental for the authority to be forced to convene through a process "from above". An important finding is that communal plebiscites can be effective to appease socio-environmental conflicts, but at the same time they have a series of dynamics that make them difficult to activate.

Keywords:

referendums, environment, municipalities, citizen participation

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How to Cite

Araya Vasquez, S. (2024). Democracia directa en el ámbito local y conflictos socioambientales: plebiscitos comunales en San Pedro de la Paz y Peñalolén. Estado, Gobierno Y Gestión Pública, 22(42). https://doi.org/10.5354/0717-8980.2024.72205