Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Power and public participation in a hazardous waste dispute: a community case study
Marci R Culley1, Joseph Hughey
1Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5010, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010, USA. mculley@gsu.edu
Abstract:
Qualitative case study findings are presented. We examined whether public participation in a hazardous waste dispute manifested in ways consistent with theories of social power; particularly whether participatory processes or participants' experiences of them were consistent with the three-dimensional view of power (Gaventa, Power and powerlessness: quiescence and rebellion in an appalacian valley, 1980; Lukes, Power: A radical view, 1974; Parenti, Power and the powerless, 1978). Findings from four data sources collected over 3 years revealed that participatory processes manifested in ways consistent with theories of power, and participants' experiences reflected this. Results illustrated how participation was limited and how citizen influence could be manipulated via control of resources, barriers to participation, agenda setting, and shaping conceptions about what participation was possible. Implications for community research and policy related to participation in hazardous waste disputes are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Bioremediation
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Microbial Bioremediation of Pesticides
