Insights and Applications Participatory Democracy, Representative Democracy, and the Nature of Diffuse and Concentrated Interests: A Case Study of Public Involvement on a National Forest District

T o evaluate whether public involvement on a national forest district fairly represents the public's values, this article proposes four hypothesis tests. First, it is hypothesized that public-invo1l)ement programs operute according to a participatory democracy logic, in which broad cross sections o f the public participate in public involvement opportunities. A second hypothesis is tested that public involvement rejects a representative democracy process in which interest groups participate yet represent the underlying distribution of issue interests qf the public at large. Recuuse the ,findings indicate that interest groups do outcompete the public in participation, ~ w o additional perspectives are entertained. A political economic perspective is considered thut posits thut the incentive structure characterizing diferent interests dejines participation. This perspective is contrasted with a perspective that argues that environmental "elites" prevail in participation and in the process misrepresent the public's values. Tests are made to adjudicate between alternative hypotheses. The findings and their implicutions for democratic public involvement and decision making are considered.