On the 17th May 2023 we held a training in Pécs on the experiences of Reflexive Policy Making processes of the shortly closing UPLIFT project for local stakeholders including representatives of a housing activist group, school, field of homelessness, urban management and the university with whom we have discussed what possibilities there are in Pécs to implement a Reflexive Policy Making process in Pécs.
In the training we presented our main results of our research based on several expert interviews and on 40 interviews we made with local young people to understand the motivations behind their life choices regarding their housing, education and employment pathways. The results of this research is available in this Case study report. Then we introduced the experiences we gained in Reflexive Policy Making in Amsterdam, Barakaldo, Sfantu Gheorghe and Tallinn. Our colleagues from Sfantu Gheorghe in a video call presented their experiences with the process they have conducted with local vocational school students in the field of education in Sfantu Gheorghe. In the end of the training, we discussed the current challenges and possibilities for implementing a Reflexive Policy Making process in Pécs.
The main conclusion of the discussion with the participants of the training was that even though the numerous added values of such a long-term participatory process is recognized, the actor who would take a leading role in taking all the financial and political risks and would set the framework for that. This is thanks to the heterogeneity of the interests of the great variety of local actors and the conflicts between these actors who fight and compete for scarce resources in the constantly changing policy environment instead of enhancing fruitful cooperations.