Does citizen influence always benefit the privileged?

The study is published in Urban Affairs Review and examines how various factors—such as education, time, and social networks—influence who is recruited, participates in, and benefits from citizen-led processes.

– The results confirm that resourceful residents are overrepresented in recruitment, but they also show that influence within these processes is more evenly distributed than expected. Moreover, findings suggest that less privileged groups strengthen their political capacity and impact over time, says Professor in Political Science Nils Hertting, the researcher behind the study.

The Stockholm Neighbourhood Renewal Program, carried out between 2003 and 2006, is considered a "most-likely case" of participation bias—a context where power and influence would typically be expected to concentrate among the already advantaged due to the process high demands on participants. Despite this, the study finds that participation led to increased citizen empowerment even among socioeconomically weaker groups.

One possible explanation for this unexpected effect is the different motivations among participants. Previous research on the case shows that privileged participants are more likely to engage for "the common good," while more marginalized groups participate to advance individual or group-specific interests.

– For example, motivations such as 'improving things for me and my family,' 'gaining useful contacts,' and 'learning more about politics' were more common among participants with lower education levels and foreign backgrounds. Meanwhile, highly educated and Swedish-born participants were more likely to participate to 'join discussions' or 'contribute knowledge', explains Nils Hertting.

This dynamic can be understood through institutional logics: while privileged individuals have other, more effective ways to influence their living conditions, participation in citizen-led processes may be one of the few available pathways to influence for marginalised groups. When participation is demanding and weakly structured organizationally, it can paradoxically have an empowering effect. Privileged participants, who often drive the process forward, share experiences and knowledge with those who have fewer resources.

– In this way, participatory initiatives can function as a ‘school’ where marginalized groups develop their political capacity and agency, says Nils Hertting.

The findings suggest that participation bias is not a one-way process. With the right design, participatory urban development can create opportunities for empowerment, even for groups that otherwise lack a political voice. The study thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how citizen participation influences democratic processes and social justice in urban development.