Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy

Activate the Democratic, Problem–Solving Potential of Citizens

Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy takes a detailed look at the fascinating past, frustrating present, and promising future of public participation. Covering both theory and practice, the book describes how engagement happens and how it could happen more effectively in the context of education, health, land use, and state and federal policymaking. The discussion strips away the false assumptions about citizenship and explores what people really want out of public life: problem solving, civility, and community. The book describes the many tools for productive participation, from the proven meeting formats to the latest apps, and discusses ways to embed them in how governance works.

Track the evolution of public participation in the U.S. Discover how participation is crucial to our health, schools, and economy Learn how to match participation tactics to specific scenarios Understand the need for stronger participation infrastructure, and how to build it

Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy is a unique and important resource for anyone interested in creating smarter, fairer, stronger forms of democracy.

List of Figures, Exhibits, and Tables ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

About the Authors xv

PART ONE Participation in a Rapidly Changing Democracy 1

ONE Citizenship, Outside the Public Square 3

TWO Good or Bad? Charming or Tedious? Understanding Public Participation 13

THREE Pictures from a (R)evolution: The Fitful Development of Public Participation in the United States 45

PART TWO Participation in Action 75

FOUR Participation in Education 77

FIVE Participation in Health 117

S I X Participation in Planning and Land Use 155

SEVEN Participation in State and Federal Government 195

PART THREE Participation for Democracy, Present and Future 239

EIGHT Participation Scenarios and Tactics 241

NINE Assembling Participation Infrastructure 287

TEN Building Democracy 305

Name Index 329

Subject Index 337

TINA NABATCHI is an associate professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. The author of several book chapters, monographs, research reports, and white papers, her research focuses on citizen participation, collaborative governance, and conflict resolution.

MATT LEIGHNINGER is the executive director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, an alliance of organizations and leading scholars in the field of deliberation and public participation. With twenty years in the field, he has worked with public engagement efforts in over 100 communities, forty states, and four Canadian provinces.