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....