Steven E. Daniels

Place as an Integrating Concept in Natural Resource Politics: Propositions for a Social Science Research Agenda

This article lays out six propositions centering on a relationship between people-place connections and strategic behavior in natural resource politics. The first two propositions suggest a strong and direct connection between self-identity, place, and how individuals perceive and value the environment. The third, fourth, and fifth propositions tie together social group identity and place, particularly emphasizing the influence of social group identity on strategic behavior in natural resource politics. The sixth proposition relates to the geographic scale of place as a strategic choice in natural resource decision making. Taken together, the propositions suggest that natural resource politics is as much a contest over place meanings as it is a competition among interest groups over scarce resources. The place perspective suggests an expanded role for natural resource social scientists as giving voice to meanings and values that may not otherwise be expressed in natural resource decision-making processes.

When Talk Is Not Cheap: Substantive Penance and Expressions of Intent in Rebuilding Cooperation

Interpersonal relationships can be fragile. The mere perception of opportunistic behavior can lead to a breakdown in cooperation. Once damaged, the question then arises as to whether and how cooperation might be restored. Noncooperative game theory raises serious doubts about the possibilities, although interactional justice and impression management research have shown that verbal explanations can dampen reactions to aversive behavior. Philosophical, anthropological, and ethological research all suggest that genuine forgiveness may require something more tangible and substantive than an explanation. Thus, the current experiment investigated the effects of explanations and varying forms of substantive amends on the restoration of mutual cooperation. The results confirm that rebuilding cooperation is feasible. Apologies and simple explanations can be effective to a degree, though substantive amends have significantly more positive effects than explanations alone. In contrast to prior findings on interactional justice, acknowledgments were more effective than denials in repairing short interactions. This research demonstrates that, once breached, cooperation can be reestablished and that actions as well as explanations and apologies can augment the process in important and sometimes subtle ways.

Procedural justice and public involvement in natural resource decision making

The public involvement programs of natural resource agencies have been broadly criticized as unresponsive to public desires. Historically, improving natural resource decisions has been the primary conceptual basis for designing public participation programs. However, the social psychological field of procedural justice suggests a new conceptual basis for public involvement that recognizes the importance of procedures as well as outcomes. This theory is based on a balancing of the self‐interest and group‐value models of behavior. Issues that arise in the operationalization of this theory for natural resource decision making include (1) the impact on interest group, in addition to individual participants, (2) impacts on nonparticipants, (3) effects of historical mistrust, and (4) measures of procedural fairness.

Decision-Making and Ecosystem-Based Management: Applying the Vroom-Yetton Model to Public Participation Strategy

Abstract Previous literature has been critical of public participation practices, finding unimpressive application of public participation principles and low levels of public satisfaction. Ecosystem-based management generally involves mixed land ownerships, which adds considerable complexity to the planning process. This complexity increases both the importance of public participation and the difficulty of selecting appropriate public involvement mechanisms. To help solve the problem of choosing among public involvement mechanisms, the Vroom-Yetton model for selecting decision process options is reviewed and applied to ecosystem-based management. The model recommends a public decision process unless developing new alternatives is not possible, in which case segmented public consultation is recommended.

Evaluating the Application of Collaborative Learning to the Wenatchee Fire Recovery Planning Effort

Abstract As a follow-up to an article published in this journal [Environ. Impact Assess. Rev. 16 (1996) 71–102.], we examine a case study application of the Collaborative Learning (CL) model to public participation in federal land decision making. As an innovation in public participation, CL combines elements of soft systems, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and experiential learning theory in an effort to foster meaningful public dialogue within public participation. The particular case examined was a forest fire recovery effort on the Wenatchee National Forest (WNF) in Washington State. Participants responded to questionnaires before and after meetings. The questionnaires measured changes in perception of the Forest Service decision-making process, as well as responses to CL itself. The results indicate a positive response to the CL process and an increased expectation of quality in the resulting decisions. Respondents did not generally perceive a reduced probability of appeals and litigation relative to the decisions themselves, but their expectations of the “survivability” of the decisions in the face of appeals and/or litigation generally increased.

Research on Causal Attribution of Wildfire: An Exploratory Multiple-Methods Approach

Although studies show that actions by property owners, such as maintaining a defensible space, are generally the best means of protecting property from wildfire, victims often blame government agencies and others for property damage, injury, and death. This article describes a multiple-methods approach for investigating factors that influence how people who experience wildfire perceive the cause of wildfire damage. Phase I and II mail surveys and real-time field interviews were conducted in communities on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Generally speaking, people who had experienced wildfire attributed damage to other peoples actions more than people who had not. Whether residents incurred damage or not, having maintained a sense of control or interacting with firefighters also appears to have influenced attributions. We argue that multiple-methods approaches to such questions have the potential to reveal more about such phenomena than approaches based on any single method.

The Clinton Administration, the Northwest Forest Conference, and Managing Conflict: When Talk and Structure Collide

Management of the public forest lands in the Pacific Northwest is in crisis, caught between ecological and economic values, and the people who hold them. Recognizing this, presidential candidate Bill Clinton pledged in 1992 to hold a “timber summit”; early in his administration. The president honored that promise, chairing, along with Vice President Gore and four cabinet members, a day‐long “Forest Conference”; in Portland, Oregon, on April 2, 1993. This article examines the Forest Conference as a conflict management effort. It provides a context for evaluating the Forest Conference as conflict management, and then outlines three basic dispute resolution approaches relevant to the conference: traditional public participation, arbitration, and multiparty collaboration. Application of these approaches reveals that President Clintons “collaborative”; discourse could not be sustained by, and was inconsistent with, the arbitration‐like structure of the conference. Clintons “60‐day pledge”; of action transfor...

Employment and Displacement Among Northwestern Forest Products Workers

Three articles in this issue examine different case examples of displaced wood products workers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The authors of these articles (and we assume some readers too) are struck by the common themes that emerge from the respective works. The purpose of this brief policy review is to focus on and make sense of these emergent themes from the articles and draw out their policy implications. Our discussion is structured as a series of observations, which are then followed by a series of propositions.Three articles in this issue examine different case examples of displaced wood products workers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The authors of these articles (and we assume some readers too) are struck by the common themes that emerge from the respective works. The purpose of this brief policy review is to focus on and make sense of these emergent themes from the articles and draw out their policy implications. Our discussion is structured as a series of observations, which are then followed by a series of propositions.

Argument and alternative dispute resolution systems

Alternative dispute resolution occurs outside the litigation process. The alternative dispute resolution (ADR) movement in North America has emphasized viable alternatives to the litigation framework, such as arbitration, mediation, med-arb, multi-party facilitation, non-legal negotiation, mini-trials, administrative hearings, private judging (“renta-judge”), fact finding, and moderated settlement conferences. This essay addresses argument in the dominant alternatives: arbitration, mediation, and multi-party facilitation. Prior to comparing argument in these ADR systems, each will be briefly described.

Influence of financial incentive programs in sustaining wildlife values

Conservation incentive programs have substantial impacts on the nation’s forests and wildlife habitat. There are eight major conservation incentive programs. The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) provides forest landowner assistance by focusing on resource management plans embodying multi-resource stewardship principles. The Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) is the primary vehicle for cost-sharing. The Crop Reserve Program (CRP) provides for conserving covers on eligible farmland. The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) protects environmentally important private forestlands via conservation easements. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals. The Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) provides grants to protect and restore habitat on private lands to benefit federally listed, proposed, candidate, or other at-risk species. The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) provides for development and improvement of upland and wetland wildlife and fish habitat. Finally, the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) offers landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands.