What is Joint Fact Finding?

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What is Joint Fact Finding?

• Joint fact finding is a procedure for involving
  those affected by policy decisions in the
  continual process of generating and analyzing the
  scientific and technical information used to make
  those decisions.
• It can and should be used by USGS to fully engage
  in participatory processes without sacrificing
  scientific excellence, impartiality, and
  objectivity in decision making processes that
  address contentious environmental disputes.

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STEP 1 PREPAREfor JFF

• Understand how JFF fits into consensus building
  process
• Document the interests of all relevant
  stakeholders
• Work with a professional neutral
• Convene a JFF process

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STEP 2 SCOPEthe JFF process

• Work with stakeholders to draft roles and
  responsibilities
• Generate technical questions
• Identify existing information and knowledge gaps
• Advise on methods for dealing with conflicting
  data and interpretations of facts and forecasts

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STEP 3 DEFINEthe most appropriate methods of
analysis

• Translate general questions into researchable
  questions
• Identify methods of information gathering/
  analysis and highlight the benefits and
  disadvantages of each
• Determine costs and benefits of additional
  information gathering
• Determine whether proposed studies will enable
  stakeholders to meet their interests

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STEP 4 CONDUCT THE STUDY

• Undertake the work, checking back with
  constituents
• Draw on expertise and knowledge of stakeholders
• Review drafts of final JFF reports

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STEP 5 EVALUATE the results of JFF

• Use sensitivity analysis to examine the overall
  significance of scientific assumptions and
  findings
• Compare findings to published literature
• Translate findings into possible policy responses

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STEP 5 EVALUATE (2) the results of JFF

• Clarify remaining uncertainties and possible
  contingent responses
• Determine whether and how JFF results have (or
  have not) answered key questions

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STEP 6 COMMUNICATEthe results of JFF Process

• Jointly present findings to stakeholders
• Scientists communicate JFF results to various
  constituencies and policy-makers
• Determine if further JFF is necessary

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Concerns about Joint Fact Finding

• Severe disparity in expertise.
• Extreme differences in stakeholder technical
  background and experience
• JFF can be time-consuming and difficult to
  coordinate.
• JFF is driven by political and stakeholder
  timelines and deadlines,which scientists find
  unrealistic, arbitrary, and counter to good
  science.
• How can you merge different technical
  disciplines, languages, and methodological
  approaches to problem solving?

• Normative concerns are never eliminated in
  analysis and decision-making.
• Conflicting communication styles. Technical
  staff may prefer graphs, data charts, statistical
  analysis, etc. Policy makers may prefer
  summaries, conclusions, and recommendations.
  Stakeholders may prefer a range of styles.
• Overwhelming information from a comprehensive and
  inconclusive JFF process.
• Technical staff have their own particular
  interests and biases.