Who participates and why? What do they expect and what do they accomplish? An Evaluation of the Superfund Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Public Administration

Year

2017

Author dc:creator

• Cooper, Lance R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Peter J. Wilcoxen
• David C. Popp

• Mixed methods
• Multiple Case Study
• Public participation
• Schedule and Remedy Modelling
• Superfund
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://surface.syr.edu/etd/752

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:surface.syr.edu:etd-1752