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This paper surveys the present state of French law concerning local inquiries on works projects in the energy sector, such as dams, power plants, transmission lines, etc. This is done in the light of the Democratization of Inquiries Bill, which received first reading in the French National Assembly in April, 1983. The subject is treated from three points of view : the scope of application of the inquiry procedure ; the inquiry process itself ; and its effectiveness as a means towards citizens's involvement in public decisionmaking. As regards the scope of the procedure, the Bill would extend it somewhat beyond the cumulative scope of the several existing types of inquiry. Any project affecting the environment would normally be subjected to be the inquiry procedure. As regards the inquiry process itself the Bill would strengthen the independence of inquiry commissioners in that it gives them broader investigative powers, allows them to hold contradictory public hearings upon request albeit with the agreement of the decision-making authority, and requires them to publish reports, with reasons of each inquiry. As regards the effectiveness of the procedure, the Bill would make it easier for dissatisfied parties to obtain a injunction restraining the implementation of a project if the commissioner had reported against it. On the whole, the Bill seems to promise significant improvements in the inquiry process, particularly as it provides for contradictory debate, including the consideration of alternative proposals. However, it leaves open a number of questions about the real purpose served by the procedure and about the proper timing of the inquiry in the total decision-making process.

The occurrence of a disaster exposes the vulnerability and resilience of the affected community. For the same reason, disasters represent windows of opportunity to modify these conditions. But is it really so? Is a disaster followed by a modification of the conditions of vulnerability that caused it or of the factors of resilience that mitigated its effects? And if so, at which conditions and how? This article tackles those questions via the historical analysis of post-disaster transformations. It focuses on seismic disasters, which are the main area of expertise of the author, but hopes to offer reflections that speak also to other kind of disasters. The analysis is grounded on a comparison between the 1908 Messina earthquake and the 1968 Belice Valley (Italy) earthquake, but makes reference also to other disasters. Based on this empirical evidence, the article sheds light on how post-disaster politics can transform those factors that contributed to the disaster as well as factors that can contribute to overcome it. The article focuses notably on three themes: the nexus between disaster interpretations and prevention policies; the long term consequences of emergence choices; the structures of institutional memory. These three themes illustrate how the modifications or the persistence of conditions of vulnerability and resilience depended on tensions and conflicts among multiple actors and their conflicting intentions. These intentions often do not correspond to those of disaster prevention and can produce, over the long term, unexpected consequences.

Keywords: catastrophes, politiques des catastrophes, vulnerabilité, résilience, tremblement de terre, histoire des catastrophes, resilience, vulnerability, earthquake, disasters, disasters history

The article demonstrates that official reports are policy tools that propagate meanings related to a public problem. Comparing the production of official reports in France and in Quebec about shale gas, it shows that the initial choices in terms of mandate and the organization in charge first constrained the editorial process, then that the committees' consultation and reference practices contribute to shape the meanings of the controversy. These reports disseminate those meanings, which follow different trajectories depending on the actors able to support them in the public debate. An official report is a policy tool because of its ability to legitimize specific meanings, but it also generates unplanned outcomes such as its reuse outside the scope of its mandate.

Keywords: gaz de schiste, rapport, instrument d'action publique, problème public, shale gas, official report, policy tool, public problem

AbstractIn 2001 and 2002, a critical review of the Montreal region highway system was undertaken during the course of the creation of a public consultation commission on the improvement of transport mobility between Montreal and the South Shore suburbs and during the public hearings held by the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) on the modernization of Notre Dame Street. These events prompted an extensive public debate, provided the backdrop for debates addressing problems on a metropolitan scale and received wide coverage in the media. They also provided an opportunity to reshape transportation planning issues by focusing on forgotten elements such as quality of life, life surroundings and the environment. Local actors taking part in this debate, who had defined themselves as partners and who had supported the Ministry of Transport's proposal, did not have much success. Their position was not considered, and the selected solution was put forward by associations and individuals who, for the most part, have little or nothing to do with the local neighborhood. In this paper, we explore the development of planning practices during this period of intense debate and present an analysis, based on the issues raised, of the outcomes of the negotiations that took place among the various stakeholders.

Keywords: planification des transports, consultation publique, espace public, médias, environnement, transportation planning, public debate, public sphere, medias, environment