Who Sets the Ethical Boundaries? The Privatisation of Checks and Balance in Planning

In many contexts, the combination of reduced state capacity, project complexity, and an increase in regulatory requirements means that planners employed by the state may not have the skills, time, or capacity to scrutinise information, make fully informed decisions, and ensure that complex factors are adequately considered. Drawing on in-depth interviews and focus groups with private-sector planners in Canada and England, we find that this has resulted in the ‘checks and balances’ which seek to ensure appropriate decision-making have–in effect–been privatised, with significant implications for planning practice, professional ethics, and the public interest.