Mieszkańcy i lokalni aktywiści jako eksperci: wstępna charakterystyka zjawiska

The analysis presented in this article focuses on the phenomenon of experts at local level, primarily residents and people involved in local decision-making processes. Its aim is to answer questions about the shape of the analysed phenomenon and the principal factors that determine this type of expertise. The primary question is defined as follows: Do residents/local activists show indications of expertise? Can they be referred to as experts? Under what conditions? What qualities turn representatives of local communities into experts? The discussion, based primarily on source literature, leads to the conclusion that residents/local activists become experts primarily by experience. As a result of this democratisation of expertise virtually all residents can express their opinion regardless of their education, qualifications, skills and knowledge of the applicable procedures or local formal structures.