Handbook of Public Participation in Impact Assessment (Research Handbooks on Impact Assessment series)

This Handbook provides a clear overview of how to achieve meaningful public participation in impact assessment (IA). It explores conceptual elements, including the democratic core of public participation in IA, as well as practical challenges, such as data sharing, with diverse perspectives from 39 leading academics and practitioners. Critically examining how different engagement frameworks have evolved over time, this Handbook underlines the ways in which tokenistic approaches and wider planning and approvals structures challenge the implementation of meaningful public participation. Contributing authors discuss the impact of international agreements, legislation and regulatory regimes, and review commonly used professional association frameworks such as the International Association for Public Participation core values for practice. They demonstrate through case studies what meaningful public participation looks like in diverse regional contexts, addressing the intentions of being purposeful, inclusive, transformative and proactive. By emphasising the strength of community engagement, the Handbook argues that public participation in IA can contribute to enhanced democracy and sustainability for all. This visionary Handbook is an indispensable resource for IA public participation practitioners, including industry, consultants, government and non-government organisations as well as participants to IA processes. It will similarly be beneficial to IA researchers, academics, and managers in regulation, public administration and management. Front Matter Copyright Contents Tables Boxes Contributors Preface PART I PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN A NEXT GENERATION IMPACT ASSESSMENT CONTEXT 1. Setting the scene: public participation in impact assessment 2. The essential elements of meaningful public participation in IA PART II ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION: SKILLS, APPROACHES AND TOOLS 3. Public participation in EIA: practitioner views on getting the basics right 4. A practitioner’s perspective on the rise of the ‘co’ for impact assessment: collaboration and co-design 5. The promise of social learning-oriented approaches to public participation 6. Setting the stage for success: early engagement in IA 7. Digital and interactive IA and online participation approaches: skills and tools 8. Data sharing and the emerging role of digital participatory platforms in impact assessment 9. Public hearings in impact assessment: building on basics with deliberative participation and alternative dispute resolution 10. Leading edge deliberative approaches to public participation 11. Community-driven approaches to impact assessment 12 Children and young people’s participation in impact assessment 13. Effectively engaging the public in impact assessment follow-up PART III REGIONAL CASE STUDIES: PARTICIPATION THROUGH ALTERNATIVE GOVERNANCE APPROACHES 14. Participation practice and impact assessment: the UK’s outlook, post-Brexit 15. Indigenous peoples’ authority, rights and engagement in impact assessment: experiences and perspectives from Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand 16. Best practice public participation in Africa 17. New challenges and old hurdles for public participation in impact assessment in Latin America and the Caribbean 18. Public participation in mega undertakings: experiences from Hong Kong 19. Crossing boundaries and jurisdictions: implications for public participation highlighting Canada and Europe cases 20. Effective integration of climate change into impact assessment: the importance of meaningful public engagement PART IV FUTURE DIRECTIONS 21. The next generation of public participation in impact assessment Index