ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the following questions as a frame of reference: How much do people participate? What types of people participate the most? Do participators' views differ from those held by general population? The answers to these questions probably can be generalized to participation in environmental planning. The chapter reviews the literature on the political linkages which exist between leaders and citizens. Verba and Nie have conducted an intensive study of political participation in the United States and have reported their findings in Participation in America. People who live in communities where there is a great deal of public participation are better off in terms of leader responsiveness. Norman Luttbeg employs the Rational-Activist Model, the Belief-Sharing Model, the Role-Playing Model, the Pressure Group Model, and the Political Party Models of political linkage to explain representation in the American democratic system. The focus of Luttbeg's five models is predominantly on elected leaders and tends to ignore nonelected officials in government.
