Introduction

Participatory processes are often seen as potential solutions for democratic legitimacy deficits. However, how we evaluate these initiatives remains contentious.

Comparative Frameworks

This letter argues against comparing participatory methods solely to normative ideals of citizen behavior.

Instead, it proposes benchmarking against the standard representative decision-making model that currently exists in democracies.

Drawing on twelve experiments from the Netherlands and Sweden (total N = 5,352),

the study demonstrates that this practical comparison yields significantly different results than ideal-based benchmarks.

Key Findings

When evaluating participatory processes against representative decision making,

higher fairness perceptions consistently emerge across all studies — even when outcomes are unfavorable for participants.

This "winner-loser gap" varies substantially depending on the chosen benchmark framework.

Policy Implications

These findings suggest that assessing democratic innovations should focus on their procedural characteristics rather than abstract ideals.

Understanding this context-dependency helps clarify whether participatory reforms truly enhance democracy or merely meet different standards.