their political sub-divisions through State Highway Safety Programs. The purpose of the program is to provide a coordinated national highway safety program to reduce traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, and property damage. Citizen Participation In NHTSA's grant program to the States, there is no mandated citizen participation requirement. However, a National Highway Safety Advisory Committee, consisting of thirty-eight representatives from the Federal, State, local and private communities, is appointed by the President for the purpose of consulting with, and making recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation on matters relating to activities and functions of the Highway Safety Program. (CFDA # not assigned) Financial Assistance to Participants in Administrative Proceedings - Demonstration Program Authorizaiton Department of Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C., 1651 et seq. and related statutes, such as National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 15 U.S.C. 1381 et seq; the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, 15 U.S.C. 1901 et seq; and the Highway Safety Act of 1966, 23 U.S.C. 401 et seq. Program Description This is a one-year demonstration program, launched January 13, 1977 (Federal Register, pg. 2864), which provides financial assistance to qualified applicants wishing to participate in selected administrative proceedings of the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) that substantially affect consumers' interests. Funds are available for reimbursing qualified applicants who could not afford to participate without this financial assistance. Citizen Participation The program is open to any individual, group, association, partnership, or corporation which submits an application for participation in selected proceedings announced in the Federal Register. Further information is available from the Office of the Administrator, NHTSA, Washington, D.C. 20590. TECHNIQUES AND DEFINITIONS* The matrix presented on the following page deals primarily with functions which participation techniques perform for administrators and public officials; however, the functions that these techniques perform for citizens do not differ significantly. Where differences between administrators and citizens do occur is in the 'use' of the various techniques. For example, an urban manager may wish to 'develop support' for a specific program, while citizens may wish to 'generate alternatives' to that program. Both groups would agree that 'developing support' and 'generating alternatives' are functions important to them. The problem arises when techniques are chosen with the functional interests of only one group in mind. The techniques chosen for inclusion in the matrix come primarily from the study Effective Citizen Participation in Transportation Planning, published by the Federal Highway Administration. The study is a comprehensive compilation, description, and analysis of a large number of participation techniques, and is an invaluable resource for those interested in citizen participation. The matrix by no means includes all participation techniques, functions, or literature sources. Rather, it is an attempt to encourage viewing participation in a new context. In order to simplify its use, only the functions felt by the author to be best performed by a given technique have been checked in the matrix. A warning must be sounded to those who would use the matrix indiscriminately. Timing, cost, the kind and complexity of issues, the quality and quantity of available resources, community characteristics, the political climate, and other factors contribute considerably to the possible success or failure of any specific technique. Thus, the decision to employ any technique, or combination of techniques, must be accompanied by an appraisal of the context within which the participation will take place. *From, "A Cafeteria of Techniques and Critiques," by Judy B. Rosener, Graduate School of Administration, University of California at Irvine. Reprinted from the December 1975 issue of Public Management magazine by special permission. C 1975, The International City Management Association. GLOSSARY Description of Functions Identify Attitudes and Opinions: determine community and/or interest group feelings and priorities. Identify Impacted Groups: determine which groups will be directly or indirectly affected by policy and planning decisions. Solicit Impacted Groups: invite the individuals and groups thought to be impacted by the program to participate in the planning process. Facilitate Participation: make it easy for individuals and groups to participate. Clarify Planning Process: explain or otherwise inform the public on planning, policies, projects, or processes. Answer Citizen Questions: provide the opportunity for citizen or group representatives to ask questions. Disseminate Information: transmit information to the public; includes techniques which provide access to information. Generate New Ideas and Alternatives: provide the opportunity for citizens or group representatives to suggest alternatives or new ideas. Facilitate Advocacy: provide assistance in developing and presenting a particular point of view or alternative. Promote Interaction between Interest Groups: bring interest group representatives together for exchange of views. Resolve Conflict: mediate and resolve interest group differences. Plan, Program, and Policy Review: provide an opportunity for policies to be reviewed. Change Attitudes toward Government: makes individuals or groups view government differently. Develop Support/Minimize Opposition: explain the costs, benefits, and tradeoffs to the public, thereby defusing possible opposition and building support. Participation Techniques Arbitration and Mediation Planning: Utilization of labor-management mediation and arbitration techniques to settle disputes between interest groups in the planning process. Charrette: Process which convenes interest groups (governmental and non-governmental) in intensive interactive meetings lasting from several days to several weeks. Citizen Advisory Committees: A generic term used to denote any of several techniques in which citizens are called together to represent the ideas and attitudes of various groups and/or communities. Citizen Employment: Concept involves the direct employment of client representatives; results in continuous input of clients' values and interests to the policy and planning process. Citizen Honoraria: Originally devised as an incentive for participation of low-income citizens. Honoraria differs from reimbursement for expenses in that it dignifies the status of the citizen and places a value on his/her participation. Citizen Referendum: A statutory technique whereby proposed public measures or policies may be placed before the citizens by a |