“We Are Exhausted”: Participation Fatigue in Water Governance

Public participation is central to participatory water governance (PWG), yet integrating non-state actors in public decision-making introduces challenges that, if left unaddressed, can undermine the participatory process. This paper introduces and conceptualizes “participation fatigue” – the cumulative stress, frustration, and exhaustion experienced by state water managers facilitating PWG mandates. Drawing on the challenges these managers face in designing and participating in state-sanctioned Water Forums in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, we advance PWG theory and practice in two ways: 1) by centering state actors’ perspectives within a literature traditionally dominated by non-state actors; and 2) by demonstrating that participation fatigue results from structural redundancy in governance networks, expanded managerial responsibilities, and institutional resource deficits, rather than personal psychological failure. We develop participation fatigue as a useful analytical framework to diagnose and evaluate the trajectory of participatory governance. Finally, we outline recommendations for practitioners and researchers to recognize and address emerging threats to PWG.