In the March issue of Public Management (PM) magazine and the article “The Extent of Public Participation,” written by Robert Vogel, CEO, Peak Democracy, Berkeley, California; Evelina Moulder, director of survey research, ICMA, Washington, D.C.; and Mike Huggins, former manager and now principal of Civic Press, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, results from an ICMA survey show that local governments are encouraging the public to participate in the identification of problems and their solutions.

They also are encouraging them to share their concerns and to provide feedback and develop alternatives as part of the decision-making process. The outcome can be improved when managers first ask themselves these six questions:

1. What is the readiness and capacity of my organization for public engagement?
2. Why am I involving the residents?
3. What do I want to achieve?
4. What do I want to know?
5. What is the role of the public?
6. How is that role communicated to the public in face-to-face and online interactions?

As the authors have written in their article, “Answers to these questions enable local governments to constructively engage the public in both face-to-face meetings and online public participation methods. Through careful design and monitoring of online forums, localities can significantly improve the effectiveness of public participation by expanding the number of people participating, restoring the civility of their participation, and ensuring clarity about the role of the public in final decision making.”

For information on survey results illustrated in the article, along with a Rancho Cordova, California, case study, read the March PM.