Citizen Surveys, Democracy, and Public Interests: Words of Caution and Words of Advice
Titel:
Citizen Surveys, Democracy, and Public Interests: Words of Caution and Words of Advice
Auteur:
Ryan, Vernon D.
Verschenen in:
Community Development
Paginering:
Jaargang 17 (1986) nr. 2 pagina's 39-53
Jaar:
1986-09
Inhoud:
In community development, citizen surveys have become a popular tool for collecting information on topics of local interest. Once collected, results of these surveys are used to determine problems or preferences that reflect the interests of the total public. Typically, this is done by aggregating individual responses and using majority rule to define a public (or common) problem or preference. According to Arrow (1951), the practice of aggregating individuals' responses often results in ill-advised measures of common problems and preferences. In effect, rational measures of common problems and preferences cannot be achieved by aggregating individual choices using democratic rules. This is called the voting paradox. To overcome the voting paradox, a multifaceted format is proposed where additional information is obtained on respondents' acceptance or nonacceptance of alternative options. In addition to improving the quality of information available through citizen surveys, the alternative format expands the educational role of the community development professional. It also places the survey within the context of action research and encourages the acceptance of action strategies that are more in line with the objectives of most community development programs. An illustration is used to demonstrate the usefulness of the multi-faceted format.
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