ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the Journal of the American Planning Association and Public Utilities Fortnightly respectively, which present most of the arguments often heard in speculative discussions about the workability of citizen participation. It focuses on the relative merits of consumer advisory boards, but the issues raised are of broad interest since committee formation is a logical and increasingly common element in public involvement programs more generally. The book looks at individual programs and projects sponsored by four utility companies: Ontario Hydro, Portland General Electric, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and United Power Association. It discusses the work of a major consulting firm for public sector clients in the United States and Canada, and includes both normative statements of participation principles and operative flow charts to put them into practice.
