Glossary N

Nanojury

Nanojury was a 'two-way-street' or 'mutualistic' process in that it allowed jurors to spend as much time discussing a subject completely determined by them, as it did a second topic that had been pre-determined by the jury's core funders – in this case Nanotechnology

Needs Assessment

A systematic process for determining goals, identifying discrepancies between optimal and actual performance, and establishing priorities for action.

Neighbourhood Action Planning

Neighbourhood action planning is when partners/groups etc. involved in developing plans for a neighbourhood get together to devise their formal action plan, with help from public bodies, agencies etc. A residents' consultancy can help with this and their advice will help to shape the action plan. (See also residents' consultancy)

NIMBY

“Not in my back yard!” An expression denoting an objection to proposals based not upon principle, but upon its impact upon a stakeholder’s immediate environment.

Nominal Group

This technique sets out a structured process to identify individual views and ideas to reach a group consensus. A group is asked to consider a particular topic. This is first done individually to produce ideas and then the ideas are discussed as a group. Priorities are then assigned. More formal version of Delphi Technique

Notice and Comment

A form of public consultation used in the United States under which a proposed rule is published in the Federal Register and is open to comment by the general public. Rules that are exempt from "notice-and-comment" requirements of the APA are those dealing with military or foreign affairs functions and those "relating to agency management or personnel or to public property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts."

Non-probability Sampling

See Quota Sampling