Williams examines the efforts of public agencies to better incorporate citizen participation in the administrative process. He focuses on the effort of the Department of Energy to use citizen advisory boards composed of stakeholderspersons who stand to gain or lose from policy implementationin its economic transition, waste management, and environmental restoration programs.
The Department's efforts to deal with hazardous and toxic wastes stemming from uranium fuel for the U.S. nuclear weapons program are examined in detail. The case study shows that the stakeholder model was effective: the advisory board was expeditiously organized, reached consensus on critical issues, and accomplished its primary mission. The board's performance was such that the Clinton administration considered it a major example of how federal agencies could be reinvented to produce a government that works better and costs less. Of particular interest to policy makers and researchers involved with US environmental issues and public policy.
WALTER LEE WILLIAMS, JR. is an independent scholar who has worked as an adjunct professor of political science at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Dr. Williams' research interests include public and environmental policy and public administration.
The Changing Regulatory Process
From Production to Cleanup: A History of the Fernald Facility
Implementing the Model: The Creation of the Fernald Site Specific Advisory Board
The Effect of the Fernald SSAB: From Conflict to Cooperation
The Results of a Survey Involving DOE's Site Specific Advisory Boards
The Eternal Quest for Public Participation: Assessing the Fernald SSAB Experience
Appendices
Bibliography
Index