Moving Public Participation beyond Compliance: Uncommon Approaches to Finding Common Ground
Leong KM, Forester JF, Decker DJ. 2009. Moving Public Participation beyond Compliance: Uncommon Approaches to Finding Common Ground. The George Wright Forum. 26(3):23-39
This article explores how assumptions behind process design can facilitate or hinder success of public participation. In particular, we explore strategies that can open up new avenues to move public participation beyond required compliance to become an opportunity to improve natural resource management. Federal land managers have regularly included public input in decision-making for decades, with varying results. Legal mandates require certain procedures for including public input, yet a variety of processes can be designed to fulfill these requirements. While public hearings once were used to comply with these requirements, new paradigms for public participation are emerging, and managers are gaining experience with innovative approaches to better understand stakeholders and implement more durable decisions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Leong, Kirsten; Forester, John; Decker, Daniel
- Units
- BRD , NRSS
- Keywords
- decision making, human dimensions, Management, public participation