Internationally renowned facilitator and public participation consultant James L. Creighton offers a practical guide to designing and facilitating public participation of the public in environmental and public policy decision making. Written for government officials, public and community leaders, and professional facilitators, The Public Participation Handbook is a toolkit for designing a participation process, selecting techniques to encourage participation, facilitating successful public meetings, working with the media, and evaluating the program. The book is also filled with practical advice, checklists, worksheets, and illustrative examples.

More and more, citizens are demanding and are being given a voice in the decision-making process of such diverse public interests as community development, crime prevention, mass transportation, environmental planning, and hazardous waste disposal. This growing trAnd of citizen activism combined with new legislative requirements and changing professional values has legitimized the role of the citizen in myriad areas of public management. How can managers meet the challenge of increasing citizen involvement in public management? John Clayton Thomas has written a straightforward and practical guide for public managers in which he outlines a strategic approach to public involvement in government decision making. Public Participation in Public Decisions prepares public managers for the difficult task of involving citizens more fully in the affairs of government while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency. In easy-to-understand terms, he presents the "Effective Decision Model of Public Involvement" that managers will find to be an invaluable asset when making decisions about when and how to involve the public.The author explores the sensible steps managers can take to successfully enhance public support and acceptance. The book is filled with illustrative examples and includes such useful information as: How to build strong and lasting working relationships with the public. The do's and don'ts to keep in mind when contemplating public involvement. How to make decisions that call for extensive public involvement. Which mechanism to employ if only information is desired from the public. And much more. Written for government officials at all levels, students of public administration, public planners, and consultants and trainers to government, Public Participation in Public Decisions outlines a strategic plan for including citizens in public decisions—a plan that goes a long way in creating a stronger democracy for all.

Federal agencies have taken steps to include the public in a wide range of environmental decisions. Although some form of public participation is often required by law, agencies usually have broad discretion about the extent of that involvement. Approaches vary widely, from holding public information-gathering meetings to forming advisory groups to actively including citizens in making and implementing decisions. Proponents of public participation argue that those who must live with the outcome of an environmental decision should have some influence on it. Critics maintain that public participation slows decision making and can lower its quality by including people unfamiliar with the science involved. This book concludes that, when done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies' decisions about the environment. Well-managed public involvement also increases the legitimacy of decisions in the eyes of those affected by them, which makes it more likely that the decisions will be implemented effectively. This book recommends that agencies recognize public participation as valuable to their objectives, not just as a formality required by the law. It details principles and approaches agencies can use to successfully involve the public.

This book examines the key issues for consideration when evaluating information, consultation and public participation.

Looks at the critical role of community members and other interested parties in environmental policy decision making.