Capacity for Stakeholder Participation in Recovery Planning

Abstract

It is generally accepted that meaningful participation by a representative, well-informed public contributes to a better plan. We surveyed the lead official responsible for the development of recovery plans in a sample of US Atlantic and Gulf Coast counties to determine capacity for stakeholder participation. We report on a variety of engagement techniques that were positively associated with an increase in participation in recovery plan development. We also link increased participation with better plan quality scores in plan quality principles. Investing human and fiscal resources in participation can increase involvement in the planning process and improve recovery plan quality.

Keywords:

• recovery
• planning
• participation

Acknowledgments

The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of NSF. No authors have any financial interest or benefit arising from the direct applications of this research.