Changing models of administrative decision-making: Public participation in public land planning

Abstract

A case study is used to illustrate and assess the applicability of participatory democracy theory to public participation in public land decision-making. In this case, public outcry against a Bureau of Land Management acquisition plan resulted in adoption of a coordinated resource management process, an application of participatory democracy theory which is purported to improve public acceptance of administrative decisions by providing improved access and representation, information exchange and learning, continuity of participation, and shared decision-making authority. The study suggests that in order to satisfy the public, a participatory democracy approach to public participation should give participants tangible evidence that their input will influence agency decisions, preferably by giving them the authority to collectively make decisions that will be binding on all participants, including agencies. Furthermore, organizational and decision-making rules, as well as legal and bureaucratic limitations on the process, must be explicit.