Introduction

"Public participation" has been a watchword in the pursuit of public policy since the mid-fifties. In the Housing Act of 1954, provision was made for active public involvement in the form of "advisory committees." The pragmatic perspective on participation is, for the most part, that which has dominated the study of public administration, although there are philosophical premises included as well. In the years since the onset of the various "Great Society" programs, public involvement of one form or another has become a requirement in nearly every program which uses federal funds. The original fishbowl procedure utilized a combination of mechanisms which included the old mainstays—workshops and public meetings—coupled with some new devices. Public involvement would appear to be subject to wide variations in both process and products. In its generally upward trend, it has and will continue to experience peaks and valleys.