MEASURING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT: POLICY OPTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA AND NORTH CAROLINA

NOAA manages the coastal zone in the United States under the Coastal Zone\nManagement Act (CZMA). One of the goals of the act is to provide opportunities for the public\nto participate in the coastal zone management (CZM) process. I have developed a set of\nindicators of public participation by reviewing how government agencies solicit and implement\npublic views in the states of California and North Carolina. Indicators – measures of success –\nare used by government agencies to show their progress towards policy goals, to simplify\ninformation, and to improve communication between government officials and the public. A\npublic participation indicator will help states determine how well they are implementing the\nCZMA, enable states to compare participation levels over time, and allow comparisons between\nstates. Indicators of public participation, however, should include a measure of the effectiveness\nof the participation, of how representative the views of those who participate are of the entire\npublic, and of the influence that the public has on final policy outcomes. If NOAA develops a\nnational system of indicators and performance measures, they should include an indicator of\npublic participation in coastal zone management decisions.