Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine the California High Speed Rail (CHSR) stakeholder outreach component, which includes the system context (external) and collaboration dynamics (internal) components of the project. This study describes the differences between the regions in terms of demographic, political, regional approach to meetings, and public engagement. Theoretical Framework. The integrative framework of collaborative governance (Emerson & Nabatchi, 2015) is a useful lens through which to examine the system context and collaboration dynamics components of the CHSR project. In addition, theories of public management are also practical lenses through which to examine the organization, budgets, programs, etc. (Frederickson, Smith, Larimer, & Licari, 2016). Methodology. The study is based on the mixed method design (Morse & Niehaus, 2009). This type of research design allows the converging of both quantitative and qualitative data for the purpose of providing a comprehensive analysis. The quantitative approach draws from data published by the CHSR, U.S. Census Bureau, and the California Secretary of State. The qualitative approach draws from survey questions from residents who attended regional open-house meetings. Findings. The demographic descriptive statistics revealed that there are differences between regions in terms of population, educational attainment, and median household income. The political descriptive statistics revealed that for each of the regions, there is a higher percentage of residents identifying as Democrat than other political parties. It was observed from attending three regional open-house meetings that there is consistency among all regions in terms of the meeting format and content. Conclusions. The demographic and political characteristics of the regions have important implications; the analysis describes the differences between the regions. It was observed that while there was consistency between the regions in terms of the open-house meeting format and content, it did not signify that the residents in all regions felt the same way about public engagement. Thus, although public engagement is an iterative process, there are system context and collaboration dynamic factors that are great descriptors regarding the differences between regions.