RE: Criteria for policy effectiveness/success

[Sue Van Patten <svp01@health.state.ny.us>]

Peter wrote: "Effectiveness of the PIP can be measured by the level of public comment (how many letters, phone calls, emails, and faxes were received, and oral presentations made)."

As a state agency public participation person I repectfully disagree that this would be a good way to evaluate good PI.  Let me give an example to illustarte my point.  The best public involvement program I have worked on (so far) was the development of a plan to evaluate (on a statewide basis) sources of public drinking water (this is something each state was required to do under the 1996 Amendments to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act).  We did a tremendous amount of public participation.  For example, we had interested parties literally sit down with us and develop key portions of the plan; we had numerous ways (and location)  for people to be involved that suited the different types of audiences; we sent out almost every version of the draft plan as it developed asking for comment from the interested parties.  Basically when it came to PI, if we could think of it or the interested parties suggested it - we did it. The outcome was low responses from the interested parties.  When we got to the end and did the formal public comment and public hearings we had few comments and in scheme of things they were not major comments.  We had one hearing where no one showed up.  Other hearings turned into a discussion of how we were going to implement the plan.  Why? Were people apathetic? Disintersted? No, it was the level of trust they have in us.  They knew what was going on right from the start.  They watched the plan's development unfold.  During the process, they knew that they could step in at any time and give us comments.  They knew we took their comments seriously.  

On the other hand, those times that I have seen poor PI done, situations where people do not feel they are involved in the decision making process, they feel that their input has fallen on deaf ears, they think that they don't have all the info, etc.  Those are time that we have gotten an incredible number of calls, faxes, etc. 

I think that evaluating PI is difficult because it is hard to put numbers on things like trust, credibility, honest, etc.