A pound of cure: Facilitating participatory processes in technological hazard disputes

We examine seven case studies of locally based technological hazard disputes to clarify factors that contribute to more effective public involvement strategies. These factors include: (1) the agency/community relationship, reflecting agencies’ willingness to negotiate collaboratively with laypersons; (2) community characteristics, including background experience in problem solving and negotiation, and the representativeness of local organizations and institutions; and (3) broader opportunities and constraints conditioned by the political economic character of the particular dispute that may moderate the social isolation linked to local experiences of these hazards. In five of the cases residents experienced some type of formalized collaborative participatory process in groups such as Citizens’ Task Forces or Advisory Groups. Contrasting experiences are examined in two communities that faced technological disasters without these processes. Based on the results of our comparative analysis, we discuss a stra...

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