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Full-Text Articles in Law

Rulemaking Vs. Democracy: Judging And Nudging Public Participation That Counts , Cynthia R. Farina, Mary Newhart, Josiah Heidt, Cornell Erulemaking Initiative Sep 2012

Rulemaking Vs. Democracy: Judging And Nudging Public Participation That Counts , Cynthia R. Farina, Mary Newhart, Josiah Heidt, Cornell Erulemaking Initiative

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

This Article considers how open government “magical thinking” around technology has infused efforts to increase public participation in rulemaking. We propose a framework for assessing the value of technology-enabled rulemaking participation and offer specific principles of participation-system design, which are based on conceptual work and practical experience in the Regulation Room project at Cornell University. An underlying assumption of open government enthusiasts is that more public participation will lead to better government policymaking: If we use technology to give people easier opportunities to participate in public policymaking, they will use these opportunities to participate effectively. However, experience thus far with …


Evaluating Public Access Ombuds Programs: An Analysis Of The Experiences Of Virginia, Iowa And Arizona In Creating And Implementing Ombuds Offices To Handle Disputes Arising Under Open Government Laws , Daxton R. Stewart Jul 2012

Evaluating Public Access Ombuds Programs: An Analysis Of The Experiences Of Virginia, Iowa And Arizona In Creating And Implementing Ombuds Offices To Handle Disputes Arising Under Open Government Laws , Daxton R. Stewart

Journal of Dispute Resolution

The article begins with a review of literature regarding ombuds, public access laws, and dispute systems design. It follows with case studies of the development of public access ombuds offices in Virginia, Iowa, and Arizona. Finally, this article draws conclusions from those experiences, offering guidance to aid other jurisdictions in designing their own ombuds programs.