Public decision-making and citizen preferences under a multilevel governance regime: Associating Contingent Valuation Method and Citizen Advisory Committees

Abstract : The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is a tool of economic analysis whose purpose is to measure, by the declared preferences of individuals, the utility they attach to the production of public goods and thus allow a public decision-maker to arbitrate between expenses. The approach has been used in a centralist conceptual scheme, which leaves little room for citizens in the decision-making process and is now being challenged by the rise in power, particularly in Europe, of the multilevel governance. The decision-maker is no longer unique and the taking of public decisions must take place on the basis of common positions adopted by various levels of government which should be established, in a much closer relationship with the citizens who use the goods public. The purpose of this article is to justify the use of Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC) rather than other participatory tools sometimes recommended in contingent studies such as citizen juries and the scenario workshop. It also discusses the limitations of the CAC combination to the CVM wishing to ensure that citizens' opinions are well used in the specification and implementation of public policies.