Cost and value of stakeholders participation: A systematic literature review

Participation has been increasingly prioritized in environmental policy processes to achieve inclusiveness in development. The vast literature discusses the pros and cons of participation but does not provide much information on the actual costs and value of participation. Hence, this review paper addresses the question: what does the literature tell us about the costs and value of participation, the evolution of the concept, and how participation costs and value have been problematized in relation to actors, levels, methods, variables, relationships between costs and value, output/outcome, geographical aspects, and contexts? Out of a larger set, the systematic review analyzes nine articles based on how the cost and value of participation are being calculated. Overall there is a lack of literature on how participation costs and value are being problematized and calculated. What is more – to the extent that this is done, the range of methods is small, limited variables are used to operationalize intangible costs and value, the focus is mainly on the local level, and the geographical distribution of case studies is limited. The literature suggests that the costs and value of participation are inequitably shared between actors. This may influence the kind of decisions being produced in the stakeholder's participation process. This causality calls for more attention for costs and benefits of participation to realize effective participation and a more inclusive participation process in environmental policy.