Public Participation

The School of Government offers the following publications related to citizen participation. Please see the School's publications page for more titles, prices, and ordering information. Please click on the text for a direct link to an article or, in some cases, to an order form. Click Adobe Acrobat Reader for a free copy of the program required to read downloadable PDF files. Visit the Publications Office website if you need additional information about these publications.

Public Outreach and Participation
John B. Stephens, Ricardo S. Morse, and Kelley T. O'Brien
Order Public Outreach and Participation

Creating and Maintaining Effective Local Government Citizen Advisory Committees with Downloadable Model Policy and Tracking Forms
Vaughn Mamlin Upshaw
Order Creating and Maintaining Effective Local Government Citizen Advisory Committees

Citizens' Involvement, Chapter 10 from County and Municipal Government in North Carolina (2nd ed.)
John B. Stephens and Maureen M. Berner, 2015
Order Citizens' Involvement

Guidebook to Public Dispute Resolution in North Carolina
John B. Stephens, 2004
Chapter 5 (Stakeholder Processes and Public Participation) examines the challenges of effective public participation.
Order the Guidebook to Public Dispute Resolution in North Carolina

Community Partnering on Public Problems

• Building Community Capacity to Meet Public Needs
  Lydian Altman-Sauer, Margaret Henderson, and Gordon P. Whitaker
  Popular Government, Vol. 70, No. 2, Winter 2005

Cooperative Program Evaluation

• Program Evaluation in Local Governments: Building Consensus through Collaboration
  Maureen Berner and Matt Bronson
  Popular Government,Vol. 68, No. 2, Winter 2003

Elected Board Outreach – Holding Meetings in the Community

• Listening to Citizens: County Commissioners on the Road
  Debra Henzey, John B. Stephens and Patrick Liedtka
  Popular Government, Vol. 64, No. 3, Spring 1999

Public Comment at Local Government Board Meetings

• Public Comment at Business Meetings of Local Government Boards, Part One: Guidelines for Good Practices
  John B. Stephens and A. Fleming Bell, II
  Popular Government, Vol. 62, No. 4, Summer 1997
• Public Comment at Business Meetings of Local Government Boards, Part Two: Common Practices and Legal Standards
  A. Fleming Bell, II, John B. Stephens and Christopher Bass
  Popular Government, Vol. 63, No. 1, Fall 1997