Department of Environmental Studies, Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA.
Social and Environmental Research Institute, Northampton, MA, USA.
Risk Anal. 2021 Mar;41(3):503-518. doi: 10.1111/risa.13250. Epub 2018 Dec 14.
Over the past four decades, the promise of public participation to improve decisions, obtain legitimacy, and build capacity for risk decision making and management has had a mixed record. In this article, we offer a narrative of how public participation has evolved in the United States and we examine prospects for its future. We trace three forces that have had significant impact on practice: an emergent emphasis on democratic deliberation, a transition from dichotomous thinking about science versus politics to an integrated perspective, and the recognition that different parties to the decision-making process bring valid epistemological contributions. The promise of public participation in risk decision making is challenged by loss of trust in institutions and individuals and by broad socio-political dynamics that are weakening democratic values and processes. These include the scarcity of attitudes and aptitudes supportive of public participation among both individuals and institutions; an anti-democratic political atmosphere that promotes disrespect; pursuit of private interests over the common good; failure to appreciate the limitations of dialogue and learning; underutilization of existing knowledge; and insufficient knowledge of how context matters. We end by offering several suggestions for focusing further research and improving practice.
在过去的四十年中，公众参与改善决策、获得合法性以及为风险决策和管理提供能力的承诺记录喜忧参半。在本文中，我们讲述了公众参与在美国是如何演变的，并探讨了其未来的前景。我们追溯了对实践产生重大影响的三种力量：对民主审议的重视、从科学与政治的二分法思维向综合观点的转变，以及承认决策过程的不同方带来了有效的认识论贡献。公众参与风险决策的前景受到机构和个人信任的丧失以及削弱民主价值观和进程的广泛社会政治动态的挑战。这些挑战包括个人和机构都缺乏支持公众参与的态度和能力；不民主的政治氛围助长了不尊重；追求个人利益而不是共同利益；未能认识到对话和学习的局限性；对现有知识的利用不足；以及对背景重要性的了解不足。最后，我们提出了一些建议，以进一步聚焦研究和改善实践。
