5.3. Question 3—policy initiative recommendations for
each of 14 specific NBT activities
The researchers integrated answers to question 3 and
uncovered a total of 65 policy initiative recommendations
that address 14 types of NBT activities. Many of
the recommendations are contingent upon the successful
implementation of policy recommendations resulting
from answers to the first two survey questions (Table 5).
6. Summary
The three kinds of survey questions used in this study
helped document fundamental NBT issues facing the
state. The questions were designed by and for key
decision makers in NBT programs who would be
responsible for implementing NBT policies that may
result from the study findings. Content of respondents’
recommendations and rank score values of various
issues were used to summarize survey results or assign
priorities to issues.
Study results cover a range of 22 policy initiative
recommendations that vary in their applicability to
public and nonprofit NBT sectors. Those recommendations
were stratified according to: resource allocation
and management, state agency planning and coordination,
partnership with stakeholders, communication
between state agencies and the public, knowledge base
and the role of science, and information and data
management.
The survey was not a random sample of all potential
NBT-related personnel, but rather a sample of convenience,
and therefore a certain amount of caution needs
to be exercised in interpretation of results. While the
general planning process used here may be a useful
guide to thought and action, the results will have to be
interpreted with care in a given situation. Because every
effort to forge NBT policy issues needs to be tailored to
fit specific situations, this study of NBT policy issues is a
hybrid designed to meet the specific NBT policy needs of
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.