Seth Tuler

Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation: Theoretical Reflections from a Case Study

This article reports progress on developing a theory of public participation that may prove useful to administrative bodies. The authors review a theory of public participation based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action and then reconsider the theory in light of a case study. Participants of a forest policy-making process reported their perceptions of a good process, and the authors used grounded theory methodology to induce criteria of good process. By contrasting the case study results with the theoretical criteria, insights are left into the strengths and shortcomings of the theory.

Unlocking the Puzzle of Public Participation

Public participation is well known for its practitioner insights and wealth of case reports. This knowledge is essential and has been well employed. Likewise, the theoretical literature on public participation is growing rapidly. The need for better conceptual and theoretical understandings of public participation has become clear. Public participation theories have not received great attention, and few have been proposed or tested. Yet theory offers much to practitioners of various interventions. The authors summarize work toward developing a public participation theory and propose a way to conceptualize its skeletal components. The authors recognize that any theory must acknowledge that different people have different beliefs about what public participation should accomplish. Further, contextual variables affect a process’s character and outcomes. The authors begin with a discussion of theory’s importance to scholars, practitioners, and participants and provide an overview of existing approaches. The authors present findings from two empirical case studies used to further develop their theory of fair and competent public participation. They conclude with some observations about challenges and ways forward.

Participation by Local Governmental Officials in Watershed Management Planning

This article reports on a study that explores what factors influence the decisions of New England local governmental officials (LGOs) to participate (or not) in regional collaborative environmental policymaking on watershed management planning. Q methodology was used to find coherent narratives that captured basic perspectives LGOs took toward the opportunity to participate in a watershed management planning process. Five perspectives emerged from the factor analysis. One centers on strategic calculations of influencing outcomes. A second weighs interest and available time. A third looks at how the community would benefit. A fourth is rooted in ones personal environmental ethics. And a fifth attempts to match skills and experiences with the needs of the policy endeavor. In conclusion, we found that LGOs make their decision to participate or not based on three general considerations: They feel they can help make a positive difference; they see working on the problem as consistent with their environmental ethic; and it is in their communitys interest that they participate in the process.

Nuclear Waste: Knowledge Waste?

A stalled nuclear waste program, and possible increase in wastes, beg for social science input into acceptable solutions. Nuclear power is re-emerging as a major part of the energy portfolios of a wide variety of nations. With over 50 reactors being built around the world today and over 100 more planned to come online in the next decade, many observers are proclaiming a “nuclear renaissance” (1). The success of a nuclear revival is dependent upon addressing a well-known set of challenges, for example, plant safety (even in the light of improved reactor designs), costs and liabilities, terrorism at plants and in transport, weapons proliferation, and the successful siting of the plants themselves (2, 3).

How Preferences for Public Participation are Linked to Perceptions of the Context, Preferences for Outcomes, and Individual Characteristics

Practitioners and stakeholders involved in environmental and risk assessment and decision-making efforts have access to a growing list of policies and guidance for implementing good process. The advice is often general. There is little understanding of how situation specific features are relevant in new circumstances. In a series of ten case studies we investigated how people’s (a) perceptions of the context, (b) preferences for outcomes, and (c) affiliations, experiences and motivations are related to their preferences for process features in a particular situation. The cases are in three policy areas: watershed management, forestry management, and clean-up and public health management of radioactively contaminated sites. We conclude this paper with a discussion of how the results can inform process design. Process design should be based on a diagnostic approach that specifically assesses relevant situational characteristics.

Design and evaluation of a local analytic-deliberative process for climate adaptation planning

In the midst of rapidly proliferating engagement efforts around climate adaptation, attention to the design and evaluation of decision support processes and products is warranted. We report on the development and evaluation of a process framework called the Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS) process. VCAPS is a systematic approach to integrate local knowledge with scientific understanding by providing opportunities for facilitated, deliberative learning-based activities with local decision makers about climate change vulnerability and adaptation. We introduce the conceptual basis of the process in analytic-deliberation, hazard management, and vulnerability. Our evaluations from eight coastal communities where the approach was applied point to four assets of VCAPS: it promotes synthesis of local and scientific knowledge; it stimulates systems thinking and learning; it facilitates governance by producing action plans with transparent justifications; and it accommodates participant time constraints and preferences.

Using Q Method for the Formative Evaluation of Public Participation Processes

Public participation can benefit from formative evaluation to learn from experience and recommend improvements to the participation process as it is happening. Q method is a promising tool for conducting formative evaluations. It specifies the different perspectives held by participants about the process and clarifies the sources of their agreement and disagreement. Further advantages are that the technique relies on a minimal number of research participants and can be very efficient. Shortcomings are that Q method does not permit generalization to a population and requires considerable expertise to carry out. Results can also be sensitive to the particular individuals selected to participate.

Stakeholder Perspectives About Marine Oil Spill Response Objectives: A Comparative Q Study of Four Regions

Marine oil spills can cause major social, economic, and ecological disruptions. Spill response managers must weigh different options and objectives when deciding what to do. We investigated the ways in which preferences for spill response objectives vary among those who are responsible for oil spill contingency planning and response in Buzzards Bay, Delaware Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Washington State regions. We begin this paper with a discussion of the research method used in the study: the Q method. In Buzzards Bay, Delaware Bay, and San Francisco Bay three perspectives were identified in each case. In Washington State, two perspectives were identified. An analysis of the 11 case-specific perspectives reveals that they can be described by four ‘composite’ perspectives that describe how different stakeholders prioritize spill response objectives. These four perspectives are compared on several themes, including the emphasis they placed on mitigating economic impacts, protecting health and safety, mitigating ecological impacts, implementing a coordinated and timely response, addressing the needs and concerns of the affected public/communities, gaining public support for the response, mitigating cultural impacts, and mitigating social nuisance impacts. The implications for spill response planning and spill response evaluation are discussed.

Making Computer Models Useful: An Exploration of Expectations by Experts and Local Officials

Recent trends indicate increasing use of computer modeling in support of local environmental policy making. The ability of such models to improve local environmental decision making will depend not only on the characteristics of the models but also on those who will draw on them in making local policy: local government officials. In this study we examine the views of town officials concerned about nitrogen levels in local estuaries about computer models developed to inform their understandings and decisions regarding nitrogen loading. We also compare the views of the town officials with a sample of modelers. We find that town officials are supportive of models and the scientists who build them. However, town officials seek more information about the impacts of changes at small spatial scales (e.g., house building lots) than current models provide or than modelers believe that they can accurately provide, while recognizing the inability of current models to support such analysis. Town officials are also interested in more distant endpoints in the causal chain (e.g., effects on fish populations) than the modelers feel comfortable providing. Finally, our findings suggest that town officials are not supportive of broad public use of the models.

Individual, Group, and Organizational Decision Making in Technological Emergencies: A Review of Research

Emergency-response systems for hazardous technological emergencies are gen erally comprised of a number of organizations with varying degrees of control over information and resources. The implementation of such systems and the need for coordination impose various conflicts on decision makers and re sponse personnel. Using the example of nuclear power plant accidents, four critical categories of performance-shaping factors that can enable decision fail ures are identified: structural, affective, informational, and task and resource characteristics. A review of individual, group, and organizational decision- making literature suggests that many such factors may have important negative influences on performance. The role of training and exercises is discussed as a means for improving emergency-response system effectiveness and reliability.