Environmental
Policy
Mark
Stephan
Community Involvement in Environmental Decision-Making
Environmental
policy research bridges the gap between the natural and
social sciences. On the one hand, environmental scientists
and engineers tackle the technical aspects of environmental
policy. On the other, social scientists grapple with
the ways in which science interacts with social and political
systems, acknowledging that questions of policy and power
are fundamentally intertwined. This research explores
the particular function that local communities and average
citizens play in environmental decision-making. Dr. Mark Stephan
and his collaborators analyze community involvement from
a number of angles. Since not all citizens get involved,
a primary question concerns the factors that influence
participation. Why do some communities see higher levels
of community engagement, while others see lower levels?
Further research is directed towards the actual impacts
that citizens have on decision-making and triggers by
which administrative agencies and environmental experts
are responsive to citizens’ demands. Arguably the
most important question to be answered is whether community
involvement positively influences environmental outcomes.
Initial results suggest a positive relationship, depending
on critical factors such as the technical capacity of
citizens and the desire of policy makers to work cooperatively.
Finding answers to these questions will serve both academic
research and the wider public.
Major
research focus areas include:
- Community
involvement in toxic waste cleanups as performed by
the Environmental Protection Agency.
- The
influence of information disclosure programs such as
the Toxics Release Inventory on the environmental behavior
of private corporations.
- The
perceptions held by environmental experts of citizen
involvement.
- The
changing culture of EPA and other federal agencies
as it relates to increased levels of citizen participation
in administrative decision-making.
Better
understanding of community involvement will enable social
scientists to:
- Evaluate
community involvement programs that have been initiated
by major federal agencies such as EPA, the Department
of the Interior, and the Department of Defense.
- Help
environmental policy experts to understand the impacts
on their work by citizens.
- Help
citizens to understand the possibility for productive
participation in decisions that affect their lives
and those of their families.
Contact
Information
Mark Stephan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Washington
State University Vancouver
14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98686-9600
Telephone:
360-546-9788
E-mail: stephanm@wsu.edu
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