How Does Government-Sponsored Participation Influence Public Policy? An Evaluation of the Remediation Efforts at Fort George G. Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground

Abstract

This study examines how decision inputs obtained during government-sponsored public participation influence public policy. The study adopts an evaluative approach to a qualitative analysis to test the element of influence in the framework advanced by Rowe and Frewer (2000). The units of analysis are the Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort George G. Meade, both of which are active military installations located in Maryland impacted by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) effort of 2005, and active Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) designed to incorporate public participation in decision-making. Themes inherent in the influence element of the Rowe and Frewer (2000) framework are applied in a document and interview coding process to determine coverage. The coverage of the influence themes associated with records of decision, the RAB meeting minutes, and semi-structured interviews with RAB members was compared to the predictions made by Rowe and Frewer (2000) on how public participation influences public policy. The results indicate that decision inputs and recommendations made by RAB members and the general public influence policy.