After 45 years of use to involve citizens in strategic planning of community issues, no evaluation studies of search conferences had taken place. Three questions are explored: Are search conferences effective, do they contribute to civic engagement, and what conditions are related to effectiveness. Ten cases were studied along with a meta-analysis of nine other studies. This book reports 4 predictable outcomes: 1. new networks among stakeholders are created, 2. sponsors objectives are met if they involve visioning or strategic planning, 3. mutual understanding and learning occur, and 4....
After 45 years of use to involve citizens in strategic planning of community issues, no evaluation studies of search conferences had taken place. Thre...