This document discusses factors that influence whether participatory processes are effective. It presents a theory that variables like context, design, power, and scale can explain why participation works or fails. Context includes socioeconomic and cultural factors. Process design elements like involving all parties early can increase success. Power dynamics must be managed so all contributions are valued. The appropriate scale of participation depends on the spatial scale of the issues. The conclusion provides five implications for practice like understanding context, engaging early, managing power, matching engagement length to goals, and representing stakeholders at the relevant scale.

1. What makes participation
work?
Mark Reed

2. How we can better involve people in
the co-generation of new ideas that can
help solve major global challenges like
food security, land degradation and
climate change?

3. • Do we have a right to be involved?
• Do we get better decisions?

4. Why do some participatory processes
work and some fail?

5. The wheel of participation:
an alternative typology to Arnstein’s
ladder

6. (Arnstein, 1969)

7. (Reed et al., in press)

8. A theory of participation

9. variables that can explain why
participation works or fails in any
given context4

10. Context
Design
Power
Scale

11. Socio-economic, cultural and institutional
contexts
that can really influence the outcomes of
participation

12. There are a number of process
design
variables that can increase the likelihood
that participation leads to desired outcomes,
across pretty much any context

13. Effectiveness of participation is significantly
influenced by
power
dynamics, the values of participants and the
way they construct and consider valid
knowledge

14. Participatory processes work differently and
can lead to different outcomes when they
operate over different spatial and temporal
scales

15. (Reed et al., in press)

16. Implications for practice

17. Implications for practice
5

18. Take time to fully understand local
context to determine the appropriate
type of participatory approach and
adapt its design to the context
1

19. Get all affected parties involved in
dialogue as soon as possible, to
develop shared goals and co-produce
outcomes based on the most relevant
sources of knowledge
2

20. Manage power dynamics, so every
participant’s contribution is valued
and all have an equal opportunity to
contribute
3

21. Match the length and frequency of
engagement to the goals of the
process, recognising that changes in
deeply held values (that may be at the
root of a conflict) are likely to take
longer than changes in preferences
4

22. Match the representation of
stakeholder interests and decision-
making power to the spatial scale of
the issues being considered
5

23. 1. Understand and adapt to context
2. Engage early to develop shared goals
and co-produce jointly owned outcomes
3. Actively manage power dynamics
4. Match the length and frequency of
engagement to your goals
5. Represent interests and decision-makers
relevant to the spatial scale of the issue

24. Contact
Mark Reed
Mark.Reed@newcastle.ac.uk
07538082343
www.profmarkreed.com
@profmarkreed