Does design matter? A qualitative study of the relationship between the design of participatory processes and the level of influence assigned to participatory input.

This research examined if and how different designs of participatory processes affect the level of influence of participation input on the policy process. The main research question guiding this research was “To what extent do the different designs of public participation in three cases in Twente explain the level of influence of participation input on the municipal policy process in the context of the Regional Energy Strategy Twente?”. In order to answer this question, a design framework and contextual factors framework have been developed for this research. Both frameworks are applied to the three cases in the Twente region, in the context of the development of policy for the RES Twente. The results show that design does matter. Specifically, the level of control assigned to participants and the level of representativeness achieved in the process have been found to be influential, as expected. Furthermore, partial support has been found for the influence of the interactions implemented in the participation processes.