Benefits of Public Participation

1
Benefits of Public Participation

• Increased Competence of Decision makers
• Greater Legitimacy through Greater Accountability
  
• Proper Conduct of Democratic Societies
• Increased Coordination between various levels of
  government
• An appreciation by the public of the limited
  resources and difficult choices that are faced by
  the Hazards Risk Management team
• The development of strong working relationships

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3 Arguments for Public Participation

• Substantive - Lay judgments about risk are as
  sound or more so than those of experts. The
  public may see things that experts do not. The
  public is also more aware of the social and
  political values related to the risk situation.
• Normative - Technocratic orientation is
  incompatible with democratic needs. The public
  has a right to be involved in decisions affecting
  their interests.
• Instrumental - Lay participation in risk
  decisions makes them more legitimate and leads to
  better results. If we deny the public the right
  to participate in decisions affecting them, we
  only deepen their skepticism of risk
  institutions. Moreover, a broader degree of
  participation may reduce the probability of error
  in resulting decisions.

3
Stakeholder

• a person with an interest or a concern about
  something
• -Oxford English Dictionary

4
Common Stakeholder Groups

• Industry and Business
• Infrastructure
• The Media
• Volunteer and Community-Based Organizations
• Health Care
• Workforce
• Education
• General Public

5
Four Publics in Public Involvement

• Fanatics
• Attentives
• Browsers
• Inattentives
• Source Sandman, Peter M. 1995. The Publics in
  Public Involvement. Conference Handouts.
  lthttp//www.psandman.comgt.

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Methods of Stakeholder Involvement

• Holding Regular Community Meetings or Public
  Hearings
• Establish a Hotline
• Conduct Interviews
• Distribute Questionnaires/Surveys
• Conduct Meetings with Citizen Advisory Committees
  
• Hold Public Deliberation Forums
• Allow for General Public Participation
• Conduct Initiatives

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Types of Public Participation

• Simple Information - Feedback
• Consultation
• Joint Planning
• Mediation of Resistant Issues
• Delegated Decision-Making
• Source Connor, Desmond M. No Date. Model
  Approaches for Public Participation. Connor
• Development Services, Ltd. Constructive Citizen
  Participation Newsletter.

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11 Key Actions for Managing Public Consultation

1. Plan Ahead
2. Test the Program
3. Invest Time and Money
4. Involve Operations Managers Directly
5. Hire and Train the Right Personnel
6. Maintain Overall Responsibility
7. Coordinate all Consultation

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11 Key Actions for Managing Public Consultation
(Contd)

• Build Dialogue and Trust
• Manage Expectations
• Work with Governments
• Work with NGOs and Community-Based Organizations