Relationships Among Preferences for Process, Preferences for Outcomes, Perceptions of Context, and Individual Characteristics in Environmental and Risk Decision-Making: Social and Environmental Research Institute (SERI)

Project funded by the National Science Foundation, SES-0114784.

September 2001 - December 2002.

Seth Tuler (PI) and Tom Webler (co-PI)

We have continued our focus on better understanding preferences for process and building a theory of public participation in a project completed in 2003. We are investigated three main questions associated with public participation in environmental decision-making:

are there views of what is the most appropriate type of public participation process that are similar regardless of the topic being discussed (e.g., clean-up of radiological contamination at DOE facilities, forestry management, watershed planning)?
how do elements of the context in which a decision-making process is situated affect peoples’ perception of what would be the most appropriate form of public participation?
are individuals’ ideas of what is the most appropriate decision-making process shaped by their personal experience, their interest group affiliation, or their motivation to participate in the process?

To address these questions we designed a systematic case comparison study of 10 public participation processes in three different policy venues. Three case studies were conducted in each policy arena of forest management, watershed planning, and radiation clean-up and health effects protection. A tenth case study was completed on a National Park Service planning process. In each case study we asked about a dozen individuals to do a Q sort exercise about how they would design the process and complete two surveys. In addition, they ordered their preferences for twenty outcomes of the participation process.

The case studies were of:

Forest management in the Finger Lakes National Forest (New York).
Forest management in the Applegate region (Oregon). (final report)
Forest management in the greater Flagstaff region (Arizona). (final report)
Morro Bay National Estuary Program (California).
Dungeness River Management (Washington).
Raritan Basin Watershed Management Project (New Jersey).
Setting standards for clean-up of radionuclides in soils at Rocky Flats (Colorado). (final report)
Assessing public health risks from radiological contamination at Fernald (Ohio). (final report)
Plutonium contamination from sewage sludge in Livermore (California). (final report)
Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area (Massachusetts).

Our case study reports describe the analyses and findings for each case. In addition, we have analysed data from single policy arenas (e.g. combines data from 3 forest cases) and conducted a full composite analysis, which combines all 117 Q sorts into a single case analysis. In addition, we are finding numerous correlations among our four perspectives on process and preferences for outcomes, perspectives of the context, and individual characteristics.

Publications, Invited Presentations, and Reports

Webler, T. and Tuler, S. 2008. Organizing a deliberative planning process: What does the science say?. In S. Odugbemi and T. Jacobson (eds.), Governance reform under real-world conditions: Citizens, stakeholders, and voice (pp. 125-160). Washington, DC: World Bank.

Webler, T., and S. P. Tuler 2006. Four perspectives on public participation process in environmental assessment and decision making: combined results from 10 case studies, Policy Studies Journal 34(4): 699-722. (Abstract)

Tuler, S. and Webler, T. 2006. Competing perspectives on a process for making remediation and stewardship decisions at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Research in Social Problems and Public Policy 13:49-77.

Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Finson, R. 2005. Competing perspectives on public involvement: Planning for risk characterization and risk communication about radiological contamination from a national laboratory, Health, Risk, and Society 7(3):247-266.

Webler T, Tuler S, Tanguay J. 2004. Competing perspectives on public participation in National Park Service Planning: The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 22(3). Available on web at: http://www.sagamorepub.com/ebooks/jprabackissues/jpra223555/

Public participation and watershed planning: Defining "good" process. Paper presented at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the Center for Water and Watershed Studies, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, 30 January, 2003.

Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Risk Decision-Making: Linking Process Design, Context, and Participants. Paper presented at the New England Section of the Society for Risk Analysis Meeting, Cambridge, MA, 10 September, 2003.

Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in the National Park Service, Case Study: Planning for the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area. SERI Report 03-006. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Tuler, S., and Webler, T. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in Forest Management Planning, Case Study: Forest Management in the Greater Flagstaff, Arizona Region. SERI Report 03-005. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Setting Clean Soil Standards at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. SERI Report 03-004. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Addressing Public Health Risks from Radiological Contamination Released by the Fernald Nuclear Weapons Facility (Ohio). SERI Report 03-003. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Tuler, S., Webler, T., Tanguay, J., and Finson, R. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in Forest Management Planning, Case Study: Forest Management in the Applegate Watershed. SERI Report 03-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Tuler, S., Webler, T., Finson, R., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Addressing Health Risks from Sewage Sludge Contaminated with Plutonium Released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (CA). SERI Report 03-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

			Relationships Among Preferences for Process, Preferences for Outcomes, Perceptions of Context, and Individual Characteristics in Environmental and Risk Decision-Making 278 Main Street, Suite 404, Greenfield, MA 01301 phone: 413-773-9955, fax: 530-348-7325, e-mail:


All material © SERI unless otherwise noted.			Project funded by the National Science Foundation, SES-0114784. September 2001 - December 2002. Project Team Seth Tuler (PI) and Tom Webler (co-PI) Project Overview We have continued our focus on better understanding preferences for process and building a theory of public participation in a project completed in 2003. We are investigated three main questions associated with public participation in environmental decision-making: are there views of what is the most appropriate type of public participation process that are similar regardless of the topic being discussed (e.g., clean-up of radiological contamination at DOE facilities, forestry management, watershed planning)? how do elements of the context in which a decision-making process is situated affect peoples’ perception of what would be the most appropriate form of public participation? are individuals’ ideas of what is the most appropriate decision-making process shaped by their personal experience, their interest group affiliation, or their motivation to participate in the process? To address these questions we designed a systematic case comparison study of 10 public participation processes in three different policy venues. Three case studies were conducted in each policy arena of forest management, watershed planning, and radiation clean-up and health effects protection. A tenth case study was completed on a National Park Service planning process. In each case study we asked about a dozen individuals to do a Q sort exercise about how they would design the process and complete two surveys. In addition, they ordered their preferences for twenty outcomes of the participation process. The case studies were of: Forest management in the Finger Lakes National Forest (New York). Forest management in the Applegate region (Oregon). (final report) Forest management in the greater Flagstaff region (Arizona). (final report) Morro Bay National Estuary Program (California). Dungeness River Management (Washington). Raritan Basin Watershed Management Project (New Jersey). Setting standards for clean-up of radionuclides in soils at Rocky Flats (Colorado). (final report) Assessing public health risks from radiological contamination at Fernald (Ohio). (final report) Plutonium contamination from sewage sludge in Livermore (California). (final report) Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area (Massachusetts). Our case study reports describe the analyses and findings for each case. In addition, we have analysed data from single policy arenas (e.g. combines data from 3 forest cases) and conducted a full composite analysis, which combines all 117 Q sorts into a single case analysis. In addition, we are finding numerous correlations among our four perspectives on process and preferences for outcomes, perspectives of the context, and individual characteristics. Publications, Invited Presentations, and Reports Webler, T. and Tuler, S. 2008. Organizing a deliberative planning process: What does the science say?. In S. Odugbemi and T. Jacobson (eds.), Governance reform under real-world conditions: Citizens, stakeholders, and voice (pp. 125-160). Washington, DC: World Bank. Webler, T., and S. P. Tuler 2006. Four perspectives on public participation process in environmental assessment and decision making: combined results from 10 case studies, Policy Studies Journal 34(4): 699-722. (Abstract) Tuler, S. and Webler, T. 2006. Competing perspectives on a process for making remediation and stewardship decisions at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Research in Social Problems and Public Policy 13:49-77. Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Finson, R. 2005. Competing perspectives on public involvement: Planning for risk characterization and risk communication about radiological contamination from a national laboratory, Health, Risk, and Society 7(3):247-266. Webler T, Tuler S, Tanguay J. 2004. Competing perspectives on public participation in National Park Service Planning: The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 22(3). Available on web at: http://www.sagamorepub.com/ebooks/jprabackissues/jpra223555/ Public participation and watershed planning: Defining "good" process. Paper presented at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the Center for Water and Watershed Studies, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, 30 January, 2003. Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Risk Decision-Making: Linking Process Design, Context, and Participants. Paper presented at the New England Section of the Society for Risk Analysis Meeting, Cambridge, MA, 10 September, 2003. Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in the National Park Service, Case Study: Planning for the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area. SERI Report 03-006. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Tuler, S., and Webler, T. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in Forest Management Planning, Case Study: Forest Management in the Greater Flagstaff, Arizona Region. SERI Report 03-005. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Setting Clean Soil Standards at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. SERI Report 03-004. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Addressing Public Health Risks from Radiological Contamination Released by the Fernald Nuclear Weapons Facility (Ohio). SERI Report 03-003. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Tuler, S., Webler, T., Tanguay, J., and Finson, R. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation in Forest Management Planning, Case Study: Forest Management in the Applegate Watershed. SERI Report 03-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Tuler, S., Webler, T., Finson, R., and Tanguay, J. 2003. Perspectives on Public Participation at a Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facility, Case Study: Addressing Health Risks from Sewage Sludge Contaminated with Plutonium Released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (CA). SERI Report 03-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)