The people keep speaking

The Scottish people have spoken. We have said no to complete independence and yes to some ongoing (possibly decreasing?) dependence.

Do we, the Scottish people, have anything else to say and, if so, how and when will we get our act together to create and go public with our messages?

We could use what are called Multi-stakeholder Processes (MSP). There are some handy words about this:

Stakeholders are those who have an interest in a particular decision, either as individuals or representatives of a group. This includes people who influence a decision, or can influence it, as well as those affected by it.

The make up of Stakeholder groups will vary with the issue. For example, a nine-point list commonly used when dealing with sustainable development includes:

• Women,
• Children and Youth,
• Indigenous Peoples,
• Non-governmental Organizations,
• Local Authorities,
• Workers and Trade Unions,
• Business and Industry,
• Scientific and Technological Communities, and
• Farmers & Fishermen

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) uses a tri-partite system with three groups:

• government,
• employers and
• trade unions

There is an excellent book that systematically outlines what is involved in MSPs that go beyond deadlock and conflict. You can download a free copy as a pdf, or buy it from Amazon (see below for details).

Minu Hemmati (2002) Multi-stakeholder processes for governance and sustainability – beyond deadlock and conflict. Earthscan

http://www.wageningenportals.nl/sites/default/files/resource/multi_stakeholder_processes_for_governance_and_sustainability_hemmati_2002.pdf

http://www.amazon.com/Multi-stakeholder-Processes-Governance-Sustainability-Deadlock/dp/1853838705