Meta-participation in multistakeholder mechanisms: Peruvian civil society and the free trade agreement with the EU

Abstract

This paper elaborates on the relatively unknown concept of meta-participation: stakeholders’ attempts to reorganize the way in which their participation in decision-making is organized. It also applies these conceptual insights to an empirical study of Peruvian civil society. Relying on primary documents and interviews with stakeholders, the article analyzes meta-participation in the framework of Peru’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, showing why and how Peruvian civil society has sought to improve the way in which the participation opportunities offered in the framework of the FTA have been implemented. The article has been developed in an abductive manner, with conceptual and empirical insights building on each other. Finally, the article also discusses the limitations of these meta-participatory activities.