Contenu du sommaire : Les conseils citoyens, beaucoup de bruit pour rien ?

Citizens' committees: a lot of fuss about nothing?“Conseils citoyens” are the most recent of the participatory measures created within the framework of French urban policy. This article is the introduction to a special report on this measure. It looks back at its genesis, its characteristics, its paradoxes. On the basis of the evaluations already produced elsewhere, an overview of the various articles in the special report and a presentation of the challenges the measure faces with regard to participation, particularly in working-class neighborhoods, the article shows why and how “Conseils citoyens” are struggling to renew the participatory offer, despite the promises that prevailed when it was created.

The “Conseil citoyen” and urban project in Romainville: the conditions of co-construction
Mandatory in priority neighborhoods since 2014, “Conseils citoyens” are participatory democratic bodies responsible for co-construction of urban renewal projects in the concerned neighborhoods. Through the example of the “Conseil citoyen” in the Gagarine district in Romainville City, this article shows that the integration of conflict into the deliberation process is a condition of this collaborative approach. It suggests a critical analysis of the approach that indexes the legitimacy of the “Conseil citoyen” to its representativity and the permanence of political delegation in participative bodies.

From the expression of points of view to the co-construction of projects, the work of the citizens' councils in Saint-DenisWith the creation of “Conseils citoyens”, the municipality of Saint-Denis was seeking to strengthen its participatory democracy system. However, this article presents the difficulties involved in realizing this. In Franc Moisin, a neighborhood undergoing urban renewal, the early definition of the urban project's objectives and the postponement of its timetable with the arrival of the “Conseils citoyens” make it difficult to appreciate the work of “Conseils citoyens”, especially if they call into question the project's guidelines. On the other hand, in the downtown neighborhood, the “Conseils citoyens” took matters into their own hands and called on the community to conduct a citizen study on fire risks. This unique situation allows us to analyze the process that has facilitated the move from confrontation to co-construction.

Are “Conseils citoyens” unsuitable for youth participation? Three case studies in working classes districts in the peripheries of LyonThis article analyses the creation of “Conseils citoyens” from the perspective of youth participation in working class neighborhoods, based on educational experiments that took place in three research fields in the urban areas of Lyon in France (Saint-Fons, Vaulx-en-Velin and Grigny). It questions the ability of this new participatory system to integrate young people who usually struggle to get involved in city-wide stakes. Although conceived on different practical modalities, these three case studies lead to two major results. Firstly, the mobilization of the youth, although desired, remains constrained by a set of common fragilities which manifest in turbulent educational and socio-professional trajectories, a distant and distrustful relationship with local institutions and a deep feeling of illegitimacy concerning citizen participation. Secondly, the participatory norm related to the functioning of “Conseils citoyens” has not adjusted well to the expectations of the public. It contributes, under these circumstances, to reproducing the structures which consistently turn young working-class people away from institutionalized participation.

Becoming someone.” The (re)valorization of social identity through the symbolic benefits of participatory commitmentFrom the perspective of the sociology of activism, this article explores the implications of participatory commitment for “regular” and “extraordinary” actors in three “Conseils citoyens” in northern France. We show that citizen participation can be a means for those involved to achieve a form of empowerment, as it makes it possible, through the distribution of symbolic benefits, to remedy the misalignments resulting from lived social experiences that have lacked recognition.

Becoming a member of the “Conseil citoyen”. The adoption of roles in a “Conseil citoyen” in ParisThis article is the result of a collective study of a “Conseil citoyen” in Paris between winter 2016 and autumn 2018. Based on repeated observations and interviews, we analyze the institutionalization of this participative organization from the angle of the councilors adopting their new role. How does one become a citizen councilor? Which social resources do individuals rely on to appropriate and fulfil this role? During an initial phase when the organization of the structure remains undetermined, certain councilors decide to establish the council as an official association. This step constitutes a turning point in the formalization of the role of citizen councilors and in the division of work within the institution, between those at the head of the association and the other members. The heterogeneous nature of the councilors' aims and commitments and the ensuing struggle to define what their role entails, eventually leads to a relatively stable definition of the role being imposed by certain members. This process brings about various behaviors from adaptation to protest, which we relate to the participants' social trajectory and their personal qualities, in order to explain the reproduction of social hierarchies and modes of domination. This assessment can be explained by the lack of resources associated directly with the role, that facilitates, or even makes it necessary, to bring in previously acquired competences.

The construction of “Conseils citoyens” in Amiens and Lille: the random and compulsory nature of audience-buildingWhile audience-building is a central part of participation, its black box has rarely been opened. Born out of political entreaties, the “Conseils citoyens” are part of this logic of institutional audience-building. Fed by social science research on participation, which has highlighted its selective dimension, the “Conseils citoyens” seek to involve the “voiceless” by randomly selecting a group of laymen from amongst the population. However, in view of recruitment difficulties, audience-building for these “Conseils citoyens”, which should be but a first step, remains a work in progress, constantly chasing after its audience.

A state-funded counter-power? The Tables de Quartier, an experiment between institutional project and social movementThe “tables de quartier” are assemblies of organizations and citizens mobilized at the neighborhood level, that seek to create debate and collective action in order to confront local issues. They have existed in Quebec since the 1980's. In France, they were first recommended in the “Bacqué-Mechmache” report on urban policy in 2013. Then, about ten “tables de quartier” were launched in 2014 as part of a three-year national experiment, carried out by the Fédération des Centres Sociaux et Socioculturels de France (the French Federation of Social and Sociocultural Centers) and the “Pas sans Nous” organization, and financed by the Government. This article will analyze the transition from the report to the experiment. Several adjustments have been made through negotiation between the organizations and the government, that result in a shrinking of the conflictual approach of the “tables de quartier,” and an enhancement of the partnership logic. These changes testify to the movement's relative institutionalization.

Evaluating “Conseils citoyens”: Why? How? With what results?
In this interview, Bénédicte Madelin discusses the process and results of the evaluation of the “Conseils citoyens” conducted within the association Pas sans Nous. This independent evaluation is based on an original method: A press review, a survey organized with the Institut de la Concertation et de la Participation Citoyenne and a national program for the co-evaluation of “Conseils citoyens” conducted in partnership with around ten French universities and the Observatoire national de la politique de la ville (ONPV). Its analysis provides information on both “Conseils citoyens” and the evaluation processes conducted by associations.