Reframing+Public+Participation-+Strategies+for+the+21st+Century

= =

Reframing Public Participation: Strategies for the 21st Century
Judith E. Innes and David E. Booher ABSTRACT  //This article makes the case that legally required participation methods in the US not// //only do not meet most basic goals for public participation, but they are also counterproductive,// //causing anger and mistrust. Both theory and practice are dominated by ambivalence about the// //idea of participation itself. Both struggle with dilemmas that make the problems seem insoluble,// //such as the conﬂict between the individual and collective interest or between the ideal of// //democracy and the reality that many voices are never heard. Cases are used to draw on an// //emerging set of practices of collaborative public engagement from around the world to demon-// //strate how alternative methods can better meet public participation goals and how they make moot// //most of the dilemmas of more conventional practice. Research shows that collaborative partici-// //pation can solve complex, contentious problems such as budget decision making and create an// //improved climate for future action when bitter disputes divide a community. Authentic dialogue,// //networks and institutional capacity are the key elements. The authors propose that participation// //should be understood as a multi-way set of interactions among citizens and other players who// //together produce outcomes. Next steps involve developing an alternative practice framework,// //creating forums and arenas, adapting agency decision processes, and providing training and//<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> //ﬁnancial support.//