📄 Abstract
Federal environmental policies increasingly emphasize public participation, environmental justice, and community resilience as foundations for effective environmental governance. However, less attention has been given to whether these policies strengthen the community capacity needed to convert participation opportunities and policy commitments into meaningful influence over environmental decision-making. This study examines how federal environmental, climate, resilience, and environmental justice policies support community capacity in the United States through a qualitative analysis of ten federal policy documents. The findings show that federal policies have expanded community access to environmental governance through participation mechanisms, equity initiatives, and resilience frameworks. However, opportunities for engagement are more consistently institutionalized than opportunities for influence. While communities are increasingly recognized within federal governance frameworks, fewer policy mechanisms support sustained community authority in shaping environmental priorities and decisions. The study identifies community capacity as the critical link connecting participation, environmental justice, and resilience. It argues that strengthening community capacity is not simply a policy outcome but a governance requirement for achieving more resilient, equitable, and effective environmental decision-making.
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📚 How to Cite:
Abdul Ganiu Tanko, Ansbert Akaturi Aduko, Patrick Akukene, Harriet Osei Bonsu , STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING: GOVERNANCE PATHWAYS FOR RESILIENT AND EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. , Volume 12 , Issue 6, June 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 406 - 415 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra30556