Democratic theory, public participation and national forest management: A case study of the Monongahela National Forest

What type of decision-making structure contributes to the "success" of environmental and natural resource policy? Elite and participatory democratic theories are tested in an explanatory case study to determine which model of decision-making prevailed in a successful policy-making process.;The planning process in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest (MNF) has been highlighted as a success story in the context of National Forest planning. Controversy and conflict typified the early stages of the MNF planning process, but the final outcome was supported and implemented by the stakeholders involved in the planning exercise. This dissertation explores the MNF planning process to determine whether the elite or participatory model of decision-making accounts for this apparent success.;The elite model places decision-making power in the hands of the scientific and technical elite. Elite theorists are concerned with maintaining efficiency and stability in the process and view the public as disinterested and potentially obstructionist participants. In contrast, the participatory model is skeptical of the expert based model of decision-making and calls for a more open process that places greater emphasis on public involvement. In their view, the public is seen as knowledgeable and active. Participant and process characteristics from both theories were identified in an extensive literature review and formed the basis for determining which model of decision-making prevailed in the case study.;Semi-structured interviews, content analysis and an archival document review were used to determine the process and participant characteristics in the MNF case study. A content analysis was conducted of a random sample (n = 1,016) of the 3,597 communications received by the United States Forest Service during the mandated public comment period. Twenty-six key participants were interviewed using a snowball sampling technique. Archival documents, including agency records, local newspaper clippings, planning documents, transcripts and cassette recordings of public meetings were used to verify the findings in the content analysis and interviews.;The data reveal that elements of both models of decision-making were present in the MNF case study. A dynamic theory of participation evolves from this research--one that integrates elements of both theories to show how the interaction of elite and participatory decision-making processes contribute to successful environmental and natural resource policy.