Learning from Citizens: Public Participation in Environmental Policy

Across the world, public participation in government policy has never been more common. As the use of participation has grown to include a broad range of policy areas and national contexts, innovative approaches and tools have multiplied—and so have the challenges and issues that practitioners confront. As public participation has grown more prevalent, it has also undergone a shift in emphasis. Conceived initially as a check on the excesses of bureaucracy, participation increasingly is being used to defuse controversy and build consensus, plan and implement policy, and engage the community in collaborative projects.