Citizen participation in the European Union: can it make a difference?

Citizen participation has repeatedly been put forward as a way to reduce the perceived gap between citizens and the European Union (EU). At the same time, existing citizen participation arrangements have been criticised for not having an impact on actual policy decisions. This article develops a theoretical framework for understanding under what conditions citizen participation in the EU is likely to have an impact on EU policy decisions. Its main argument is that the impact of citizen participation processes can only be understood if it is placed within a broader account of policy-making dynamics. To that end, it draws on insights from the literatures on citizen participation, policy studies, social movements and interest groups to specify how citizen participation processes interact with these broader dynamics. Based on that account, the article identifies six pathways to policy impact and the conditions under which they are likely to occur.