In Print Vol. 30, No. 3, December 2002
Meaningful Participation: An activist's guide to collaborative policy-making is by Gayle L. Gifford, an activist and organizer for 30 years and president of Cause and Effect Inc. of Providence, RI. Key chapters include: The basics - why voting isn't enough; two ways to make policy; who has a stake; how does power affect public participation; communicating to create common ground; how to create collaborative solutions; dealing with science and risk; when not to collaborate. Obviously, this is not your usual corporate manual. It has a dual public: citizens who need to organize in order to be heard effectively; corporate and government managers who need to know the perspective of citizen activists. For more, visit www.meaningfulparticipation.com or email CEffect@aol.com Published by C Effect Publications, Providence, RI; 1999; 63 pp.; $9.95; quantity discounts available.
Breaking New Ground is the final report of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project which, in two years of intensive global research and consultation, created a commitment to sustainable development by the mining industry and co-operating environmental and other groups. Major sections of interest to readers are: Local Communities and Mines; Mining, Minerals and the Environment; Access to Information. A CD-ROM is included. Published by Earthscan Publications, London and Sterling, VA; 3002; 441 pp. For more information, visit www.earthprint.com or email orders@earthprint.com MMSD in South America: Executive Summary includes a section on: "Findings of the participatory process" which details: stakeholder priorities, different priorities in different countries, reflecting on the challenges and ways forward. Proposals for Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru are summarized. Published in English and Spanish by the Intl. Development Research Centre of Ottawa, Canada; 3002; 23 pp.; for more information, visit www.irdc.ca/mpri or email mpri@idrc.ca/mpri
"Community Participation in Watershed Management" is a booklet in a series on Environmental Anthropology from the Society for Applied Anthropology. Issues addressed include: what is a "community", procedural fairness, environmental justice, environmental values, opportunities to participate meaningfully and integration of concerns. For details, visit www.sfaa.net or email info@sfaa.net 3001; 8 pp.
"It's Good to Talk: The Importance of Consultation in SIA" by Ross Marshal of Scottish Power explores what he says is one of the most challenging aspects of current practice - Social Impact Assessment. "Since the cultural and social aspects of the local environment, and their perceived values, exist largely in people's minds, interaction across all levels of an affected community is essential." While there is no requirement for widespread consultation, Scottish Power deems it important and is committed to consulting with stakeholders whose interests may be affected. It uses a formal and ongoing consultation process which it believes benefits all parties. The writer can be reached at ross.marshall@SPPowerSystems.com Published in "Impact Assessment in the Corporate Context" by the Intl. Assn. for Impact Assessment, May 3002; 8 pp. For details, visit www.iaia.org or email info@iaia.org
No Toxic Dump: a triumph for grassroots democracy and environmental justice by Paul Strangio tells the story of a suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, who opposed a landfill proposed by a large multinational corporation which was supported by the state government. The writer, a specialist in Australian history and politics, details the sophisticated strategy developed and used by the mobilised community groups. This is not just another NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) case, as the campaign resulted in a major review of the state's waste management policies. Published by Pluto Press, Sydney, Australia; 3001; review in Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, June 3002, pp. 143-144.
Public Participation: The Inside Story by Prof. Bojinka Bishop of Ohio University in Athens, OH, describes the challenges, trends, tools and results of a 3002 survey. Some 168 responses (22.25% of 755 addressees emailed) were obtained - 66% U.S., 22% Canadian and 11% other. Some highlights: 52% would prefer to practise in the "collaborative" mode (See the IAP2 "Spectrum of Public Participation" at www.iap2.org) but only 12% of the work falls into that mode. Some 20% of organizations using public participation modify their positions a lot, 45% moderately and 32% somewhat. Public participation practitioners tend to define success based on whether the public influenced the decisions and whether good information was exchanged; organizations defined success based on whether or not the project was approved and completed. Major challenges: engaging stakeholders in the processes; having organizations and agencies recognize the value of and provide resources for public participation. For an attachment of a Power Point presentation, email bishopb@oak.cats.ohioe.edu
Eldis Participation Resource Guide is a multidimensional resource funded by national and international agencies. e.g. World Bank and UNEP. Some titles: 10 key stages towards effective participatory curriculum development in social forestry; Tenure, diversity and commitment - community participation for urban service provision; Closing the gap - information, participation and justice in decision-making for the environment. For more, visit www.eldis.org/participation/
Stepping Forward: Children and Young People's Participation in the Development Process, edited by Victoria Johnson et al., argues that children and young people have much to offer to the community they live in, but are often excluded from decisions and policies that affect them or are ignored or overruled. The contributors, who met at an international workshop in 1997, reflect a wide range of experience in many countries as they address ethical dilemmas, process and methods, institutional issues and cultural relationships. Published by the Intermediate Technology Development Group; 1998; 350 pp. For details, visit www.itdg.org/home.html or email enquiries@itdg.org.uk
"Using participatory and learning-based approaches for environmental management to help achieve constructive behaviour change" by Will Allen et al. is a new report by Landcare Research NZ Ltd. which was prepared for the NZ Ministry of the Environment. The aim was to improve motivation, information flows and collaborative learning with multi-stakeholder groups and teams. For more, visit www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/social/par_rep.html or email allenw@landcareresearch.co.nz
What Arabs Think: Values, Beliefs and Concerns by Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, summarizes the views of 3,800 Arab adults in eight Middle Eastern countries. The most important political issues in all the countries were civil and personal rights and health care. With the exception of Lebanon, Arabs in other countries were satisfied with their financial situation and optimistic about the future. For details, visit www.aaiusa.org or email chad@zogby.com
Symposium: Public Participation in Risk Management includes papers on: "Public Participation in Risk Management Decisions: The Right to Define, the Right to Know and the Right to Act", "Public Participation in Risk Regulation" and "Public Accountability of Advisory Committees". For more, visit www.flpc.edu/risk/pubprtn.htm
C&C E-Letter for November 3002 by Jim Creighton contains a number of public participation case studies of his work; it also lists eight websites where his guides and manuals are available. For details, visit www.CreightonandCreighton.com or email Jim@CreightonandCreighton.com
Information Quality Guidelines Due to new legislation for the entire US Government, data quality standards must be kept in mind when implementing programs, gathering and reporting on data, writing up scopes of work for evaluations etc. Corrections may be required if data is found to be substandard. for more information, visit www.usaid.gov/about/info_quality
Listening to the City: Pushing the Boundaries of Public Participation and the Future of Democracy will be a special issue of Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal, edited by Editor Sandor P. Schuman. At workshops on July 20 and 22 and online July 30 to August 12, 500 group facilitators helped 5,300 people participate in shaping the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan and the creation of a permanent memorial to the victims of 9/11. This unique event "provides an opportunity to reflect on public participation, small group facilitation, large scale participatory events and more." says the editor. Publication is expected by the end of 3003. For more info about "Listening to the City", visit www.listeningtothecity.org
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