Science and Stakeholders: Lessons from the Case Study Literature. T. C. Beierle, Resources for the Future
The paper examines the relationship between stakeholder processes and science based on a systematic analysis of around 250 case studies of public involvement in environmental decision-making. It addresses the role of science in three areas: (1) the role of scientific knowledge and uncertainty in setting the context for participatory decision-making, (2) the incorporation of scientific knowledge into the actual participatory process, and (3) the technical quality of decisions. The breadth of the case study literature allows an examination of these issues across a number of different decision-making settings (e.g., hazardous waste cleanup, land use planning, and facility siting) and across a number of different participatory mechanisms (e.g., advisory committees, public hearings, and negotiations). The paper is intended as much to report information on what we know about the relationship between science and stakeholder processes as it is to explore how we should characterize the issues and where future research should focus.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation.
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