How participatory can participatory modeling be? A discussion of the degree of influence and stakeholder and expert perspectives in six dimensions of participatory modeling

The authors are involved in a project aiming at the development of a methodology for participatory modeling (DEMO) as a tool for public participation in water resource management. In this paper, some examples of different degrees of stakeholder influence in six key dimensions of participatory modeling are identified and discussed. Arnstein’s (1969) critical discussion of different degrees of “real” decision-making power is taken as a point of departure to assess possible degrees of stakeholder influence. Can we as participatory modelers be sure that we are really inviting our research objects to an equal communicative relationship where local perspectives, knowledge and priorities is respected to the same extent as central and/or expert perspectives? The paper presents an approach that could be used as a tool for structured reflection to avoid un-reflected tendencies towards expert knowledge dominance and low degree of stakeholder real influence over the process.