Is information infrastructure design theory consistent with participatory design?

Application of information infrastructure theory has resulted in rich descriptions of politically and technically complex and usually quite large information systems. Although such insights have been used for developing and testing prescriptive information infrastructure design theory, action research using information infrastructure design theory seems less victorious that one might perhaps have expected. This paper speculates some reasons for why this might be so, in particular asking the question when information infrastructure design theory might be in conflict with participatory design. To shed light on the question, a case study of the design a reading group among PhD students in the IS field is discussed, using challenges in the design of the group as basis for analysis. The case analysis suggests that information infrastructure design theory and participatory design may not necessarily be inconsistent, but they seem to reflect political views that are opposing extremes; information infrastructure design theory values pragmatic opportunism while participatory design is more explicitly focused on social values such as democracy and giving voice to the underprivileged.