Abstract

This research provides data-based guidance on effective methods of stakeholder involvement.

Issue

Stakeholder involvement has become a basic principle in environmental management in the United States and throughout the world. While widely acknowledged, there is a wide range of opinion about how stakeholder engagement is best achieved. For this reason, local, state, and federal agencies engaged in environmental management need clear guidance on how best to engage stakeholders. Such guidance should be based on research and practical experience.

Response

The National Research Council commissioned the Committee to Assess the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Methods of Analysis and Peer Review for Water Resources Planning to assess the methods and techniques of project analysis, including stakeholder engagement. The Committee's report, "Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning," included a chapter entitled, "Stakeholder Participation." Pfeffer served as a lead author for that chapter and his expertise in this area is based on research conducted at Cornell University with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This research examined social aspects of watershed management in the development of the New York City Watershed management plan. Findings of this research were reported in two earlier National Research Council reports dealing with watershed management.

Impact

The National Research Council reports and generates their research-based recommendations on stakeholder participation in water resources. These are read by water resources managers throughout the U.S. and the world, and are used to develop practical guidance by a variety of agencies. The most recent report was intended to inform nationwide project planning policies of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Funding Sources

• Other Federal non-USDA (e.g., NSF, NIH, DOA, DOD)
• USDA National Research Initiative

Collaborators

• National Reserch Council, Water Science and Technology Board

Key Personnel

• Max J. Pfeffer, Development Sociology Department, Cornell University