Contributions of The Public In Decision Making

Contributions of The Public In Decision Making

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Many project developers choose to exclude or minimize public participation in planning efforts claiming citizen participation is too expensive and time consuming. Yet, many citizen participation programs are initiated in response to public reaction to a proposed project.

Therefore, Public Participation is a vital tool in which every project developer need to carry out because it serves as a platform to keep the communities abreast of the implication and negative impact of proposed project will have on them. With these information, they might be able to highlight alternatives know to them on how to reshape the project and also influence the decision.

 Now that we have that out of our hair, what then are the areas to which the public may contribute in the decision making processes?
 

1. Sustainable development

  Sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders during the decision making processes. This means the project will get completed and last longer meeting its goals of starting it in the first place.

2. Environmental Protection

Environmental issues can be addressed when valued by the public. It is important that a party represents the interest of the environment in the public debate. Without such a party, the environment will not be put on the agenda.

3. Conflict Management

Although conflicts cannot be avoided, they are made explicit in the public participation debate. This makes conflict handling more efficient.

4. Effective use of the available data.    

 Public participation and consultation is an opportunity to solicit the "hidden" knowledge of the wider community and their key concern.

5. Better decision making

To produce better decisions. Public consultation can produce better "technical" decisions than a strictly technically oriented decision process.

PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION PROCESS

There are bound to be obstacles when working with different people, especially when a lot of them are involved. The same goes for involving the public in decision making. Three basic problems are highlighted here.

i.    Most often, members of the public lack knowledge of many relevant issues, hence, information gotten from them is not free from errors.

ii.    Members of the public who do not have a good personal interest are usually unwilling to participate or do not sustain participation for a long time.

iii.    A possibility of project delay and increased project cost.