PUBLIC-PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING - A 3-STEP PROCEDURE

This article introduces a novel model of public participation in polit ical decisions. Structured in three consecutive steps, the model is ba sed on the view that stakeholders, experts, and citizens should each c ontribute to the planning effort their particular expertise and experi ence. Stakeholders are valuable resources for eliciting concerns and d eveloping evaluative criteria since their interests are at stake and t hey have already made attempts to structure and approach the issue. Ex perts are necessary to provide the data base and the functional relati onships between options and impacts. Citizens are the potential victim s and benefactors of proposed planning measures; they are the best jud ges to evaluate the different options available on the basis of the co ncerns and impacts revealed through the other two groups. The three-st ep model has been developed and frequently applied as a planning tool in West Germany. We compare this experience with the model's first app lication in the United States, and conclude that the three-step proced ure offers a limited, but promising future for democratizing policy ma king in the United States.