Abstract
This research was performed to investigate public participation in highly technical policy
scenarios and the outcomes of this participation. A detailed evaluation of community
involvement at Superfund sites (via the Technical Assistance Grant, or TAG, Program) was
performed by researching a specific type of complex, highly-technical policy problem, using a
mixed methods approach, incorporating a quantitative econometric evaluation and qualitative
multiple case study of selected Superfund sites.
The existing literature on public participation argues that citizen involvement is central to
democratic decision-making and is an important part of the policy process. This study was
rooted in a series of research questions about public participation in technical settings. These
questions addressed the attributes of successful participation, the characteristics of technical
policy issues that could lead to gaps in successful participation, the expected impact of the
Superfund TAG program in addressing these gaps, and questions about the specific impacts of
the TAG program at Superfund sites on outcomes (schedule, remedy selected, and community
perceptions and satisfaction with the outcomes).
The Superfund program has the hallmark characteristics of a highly technical, complex
policy situation – it is characterized by technical complexity, solutions to the problems are
expensive, public involvement is expensive, the process is slow, and the technical parties
typically have better access to information than does the public. The quantitative research herein
identified several drivers for obtaining a TAG and demonstrated the impact of a TAG on
schedule and remedy. The case studies provided support for the expectations about barriers to
public participation in complex, technical settings, and expectations about the ability of the
TAG program to address some of the participation gaps. The research also identified areas for
public participation improvement, through providing independent technical advisors, support for
establishment of community networks, support for citizen advocates, and agency support for
capacity building.
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract</p> <p>This research was performed to investigate public participation in highly technical policy</p> <p>scenarios and the outcomes of this participation. A detailed evaluation of community</p> <p>involvement at Superfund sites (via the Technical Assistance Grant, or TAG, Program) was</p> <p>performed by researching a specific type of complex, highly-technical policy problem, using a</p> <p>mixed methods approach, incorporating a quantitative econometric evaluation and qualitative</p> <p>multiple case study of selected Superfund sites.</p> <p>The existing literature on public participation argues that citizen involvement is central to</p> <p>democratic decision-making and is an important part of the policy process. This study was</p> <p>rooted in a series of research questions about public participation in technical settings. These</p> <p>questions addressed the attributes of successful participation, the characteristics of technical</p> <p>policy issues that could lead to gaps in successful participation, the expected impact of the</p> <p>Superfund TAG program in addressing these gaps, and questions about the specific impacts of</p> <p>the TAG program at Superfund sites on outcomes (schedule, remedy selected, and community</p> <p>perceptions and satisfaction with the outcomes).</p> <p>The Superfund program has the hallmark characteristics of a highly technical, complex</p> <p>policy situation – it is characterized by technical complexity, solutions to the problems are</p> <p>expensive, public involvement is expensive, the process is slow, and the technical parties</p> <p>typically have better access to information than does the public. The quantitative research herein</p> <p>identified several drivers for obtaining a TAG and demonstrated the impact of a TAG on</p> <p>schedule and remedy. The case studies provided support for the expectations about barriers to</p> <p>public participation in complex, technical settings, and expectations about the ability of the</p> <p>TAG program to address some of the participation gaps. The research also identified areas for</p> <p>public participation improvement, through providing independent technical advisors, support for</p> <p>establishment of community networks, support for citizen advocates, and agency support for</p> <p>capacity building.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cooper, Lance R."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Public Administration","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Peter J. Wilcoxen","David C. Popp"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-06-30T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-06-30T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:55:19Z","subjects":["Mixed methods","Multiple Case Study","Public participation","Schedule and Remedy Modelling","Superfund","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://surface.syr.edu/etd/752","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Peter J. Wilcoxen","David C. Popp"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cooper, Lance R."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Public Administration"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mixed methods","Multiple Case Study","Public participation","Schedule and Remedy Modelling","Superfund","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/752"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract
This research was performed to investigate public participation in highly technical policy
scenarios and the outcomes of this participation. A detailed evaluation of community
involvement at Superfund sites (via the Technical Assistance Grant, or TAG, Program) was
performed by researching a specific type of complex, highly-technical policy problem, using a
mixed methods approach, incorporating a quantitative econometric evaluation and qualitative
multiple case study of selected Superfund sites.
The existing literature on public participation argues that citizen involvement is central to
democratic decision-making and is an important part of the policy process. This study was
rooted in a series of research questions about public participation in technical settings. These
questions addressed the attributes of successful participation, the characteristics of technical
policy issues that could lead to gaps in successful participation, the expected impact of the
Superfund TAG program in addressing these gaps, and questions about the specific impacts of
the TAG program at Superfund sites on outcomes (schedule, remedy selected, and community
perceptions and satisfaction with the outcomes).
The Superfund program has the hallmark characteristics of a highly technical, complex
policy situation – it is characterized by technical complexity, solutions to the problems are
expensive, public involvement is expensive, the process is slow, and the technical parties
typically have better access to information than does the public. The quantitative research herein
identified several drivers for obtaining a TAG and demonstrated the impact of a TAG on
schedule and remedy. The case studies provided support for the expectations about barriers to
public participation in complex, technical settings, and expectations about the ability of the
TAG program to address some of the participation gaps. The research also identified areas for
public participation improvement, through providing independent technical advisors, support for
establishment of community networks, support for citizen advocates, and agency support for
capacity building.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Who participates and why? What do they expect and what do they accomplish? An Evaluation of the Superfund Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Peter J. Wilcoxen","David C. Popp"],"dc:creator":["Cooper, Lance R."],"dc:description.abstract":["Abstract
This research was performed to investigate public participation in highly technical policy
scenarios and the outcomes of this participation. A detailed evaluation of community
involvement at Superfund sites (via the Technical Assistance Grant, or TAG, Program) was
performed by researching a specific type of complex, highly-technical policy problem, using a
mixed methods approach, incorporating a quantitative econometric evaluation and qualitative
multiple case study of selected Superfund sites.
The existing literature on public participation argues that citizen involvement is central to
democratic decision-making and is an important part of the policy process. This study was
rooted in a series of research questions about public participation in technical settings. These
questions addressed the attributes of successful participation, the characteristics of technical
policy issues that could lead to gaps in successful participation, the expected impact of the
Superfund TAG program in addressing these gaps, and questions about the specific impacts of
the TAG program at Superfund sites on outcomes (schedule, remedy selected, and community
perceptions and satisfaction with the outcomes).
The Superfund program has the hallmark characteristics of a highly technical, complex
policy situation – it is characterized by technical complexity, solutions to the problems are
expensive, public involvement is expensive, the process is slow, and the technical parties
typically have better access to information than does the public. The quantitative research herein
identified several drivers for obtaining a TAG and demonstrated the impact of a TAG on
schedule and remedy. The case studies provided support for the expectations about barriers to
public participation in complex, technical settings, and expectations about the ability of the
TAG program to address some of the participation gaps. The research also identified areas for
public participation improvement, through providing independent technical advisors, support for
establishment of community networks, support for citizen advocates, and agency support for
capacity building.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://surface.syr.edu/etd/752"],"dc:subject":["Mixed methods","Multiple Case Study","Public participation","Schedule and Remedy Modelling","Superfund","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Who participates and why? What do they expect and what do they accomplish? An Evaluation of the Superfund Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Public Administration"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:55:19Z"}