Collaboration in Federal Hydropower Licensing: Impacts on Process, Outputs, and Outcomes

This study explores the outcomes of collaboration in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's hydropower licensing process. A survey gauged 270 participants' opinions of process and outcomes. Process variables included principled engagement, shared motivation, and capacity for joint action. Dependent variables measured perceived impacts on decision-making and participants (process outcomes), the license's perceived quality, and predicted environmental and economic changes. Linear mixed-effects models tested the influence of process variables on each outcome. Collaboration was associated with all four outcomes, but influenced process outcomes the most and predicted economic outcomes the least. Principled engagement influenced every outcome variable, shared motivation influenced process outcomes, and capacity for joint action influenced license and predicted environmental outcomes. Respondent affiliation and project size also affected perceived outcomes. Results suggest that collaboration influences a range of outputs and outcomes, but that a growing number of non-process factors mediate the relationship for outcomes further from the collaborative process.