| This descriptive, retrospective research study, using survey, case study, and interview methodologies, examines citizen and public administrator perceptions of the quality and quantity of citizen involvement in public policy setting and the subsequent impact of those perceptions on "social capital" (Putnam, 1993). It was hypothesized that "place" value decisions (Kirlin, 1996) would be better made by an involved citizenry, that increasing public involvement in policy formation would result in "better" policy, and that earlier citizen involvement in the policy process would increase both internal and external efficacy. A matrix model developed by the researcher, reflecting breadth and depth of citizen participation, provided the theoretical framework for the study.; A community survey and focus group analysis suggests that the policy process reflects an elite model and that broad citizen involvement occurs late in the process and is largely symbolic. This finding was reinforced through a survey of public administrators. Finally, case study analysis of four separate attempts to pass a school bond in a northern California community suggested that participatory models of citizen involvement in policy setting were slightly more effective than the elite model in obtaining bond measure passage.; Implications of this research are that early citizen participation in policy development, using small scale meetings in neighborhood settings, and insuring that citizen ideas are incorporated into policy formation are all necessary elements for successful implementation of a participatory model of citizen participation. Through the participatory model, citizens are better able to move away from a focus on individual good to a focus on community good.; These research findings contribute to the public participation literature advanced by Berry et al. (1993) in terms of the "index of public participation" and in testing the concepts of "mediating institutions" set forth by Berger and Neuhaus (1996).; Further research should include the refinement of the participatory model and an examination of the role of selected socio-economic groups in policy formation to determine whether the findings are applicable across the entire population. |
