Public consultations in public governance – past and future research directions

Introduction/background: The last few years have seen an increase in the number of publications that address research questions on public consultations in public governance. However, knowledge on this subject is dispersed, and there is a need for its systematisation. Aim of the paper: This paper aims to identify current and emerging research on public consultations in public governance. Materials and methods: This goal was achieved by conducting the Systematic Literature Review. Results and conclusions: The bibliometric analysis carried out has identified four main thematic clusters around which this research is conducted. These relate to: 1. issues directly related to the conduct of public consultations; 2. issues related to deliberative democracy and accompanying matters; 3. issues related to community involvement in public consultations processes; and 4. issues related to the influence of stakeholders and interest groups on the process of public consultations implementation. In addition, this publication has mapped thematic groups that are drivers for further research on public consultations (issues related to public participation in terms of cultural risk theory and public participation in Chinese version of authoritative deliberation) and niche topics for further development (issues related to stakeholders and interest groups in participatory public policy making).