Democracy in practice / Helena Catt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Catt, Helena, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (160 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Evaluates the success of public participation and the contextual and procedural factors that lead to it. This book demonstrates that public participation has not only improved environmental policy, but it has also played an important educational role and has helped resolve the conflict and mistrust that often plague environmental issues.

In spite of the expanding role of public participation in environmental decisionmaking, there has been little systematic examination of whether it has, to date, contributed toward better environmental management. Neither have there been extensive empirical studies to examine how participation processes can be made more effective. Democracy in Practice brings together, for the first time, the collected experience of 30 years of public involvement in environmental decisionmaking. Using data from 239 cases, the authors evaluate the success of public participation and the contextual and procedural factors that lead to it. Thomas Beierle and Jerry Cayford demonstrate that public participation has not only improved environmental policy, but it has also played an important educational role and has helped resolve the conflict and mistrust that often plague environmental issues. Among the authors' findings are that intensive 'problem-solving' processes are most effective for achieving a broad set of social goals, and participant motivation and agency responsiveness are key factors for success. Democracy in Practice will be useful for a broad range of interests. For researchers, it assembles the most comprehensive data set on the practice of public participation, and presents a systematic typology and evaluation framework. For policymakers, political leaders, and citizens, it provides concrete advice about what to expect from public participation, and how it can be made more effective. Democracy in Practice concludes with a systematic guide for use by government agencies in their efforts to design successful public participation efforts. In spite of the expanding role of public participation in environmental decisionmaking, there has been little systematic examination of whether it has, to date, contributed toward better environmental management. Neither have there been extensive empirical studies to examine how participation processes can be made more effective. Democracy in Practice brings together, for the first time, the collected experience of 30 years of public involvement in environmental decisionmaking. Using data from 239 cases, the authors evaluate the success of public participation and the contextual and procedural factors that lead to it. Thomas Beierle and Jerry Cayford demonstrate that public participation has not only improved environmental policy, but it has also played an important educational role and has helped resolve the conflict and mistrust that often plague environmental issues. Among the authors' findings are that intensive 'problem-solving' processes are most effective for achieving a broad set of social goals, and participant motivation and agency responsiveness are key factors for success. Democracy in Practice will be useful for a broad range of interests. For researchers, it assembles the most comprehensive data set on the practice of public participation, and presents a systematic typology and evaluation framework. For policymakers, political leaders, and citizens, it provides concrete advice about what to expect from public participation, and how it can be made more effective. Democracy in Practice concludes with a systematic guide for use by government agencies in their efforts to design successful public participation efforts.

Contents:

Executive Summary1. Introduction2. Conceptual Framework and Methodology3. The Social Goals of Public Participation4. The Context of Public Participation5. The Process of Public Participation6. Public Participation and Implementation7. Designing Public Participation Processes8. Conclusions and Areas for Further ResearchAppendix A: Case Survey MethodologyAppendix B: Details on Data and AggregationAppendix C: Technical AnalysisAppendix D: Examination of Potential BiasAppendix E: Citations for Cases in the Final Data SetReferencesIndex

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [155]-159) and index.

ISBN:

1-134-70346-5

9786610333097

1-134-70347-3

1-280-33309-X

0-203-27024-X

0-203-02031-6

9780203020319

OCLC:

70739725