Since the adoption of Agenda 21 the call for more participation in environmental decisionmaking
has gained in uence and prominence. This paper presents an extensive theoretical literature
review as a starting point for profound scienti c research on the interrelation between
collective modes of stakeholder participation and decision-making with sustainable outcomes. On
the basis of literature in the elds of participatory governance collective action theory and
diverse sustainability approaches the paper develops a research matrix with various
sub-variables. In addition the paper reviews the actor-centred institutionalist approach of
Fritz Scharpf and Renate Mayntz and system theoretic approaches of David Easton and Gabriel
Almond which are then mutually used for designing a theoretical framework linking collective
participation and decisionmaking with sustainable outcomes. The paper concludes by suggesting
an application of the elaborated framework and research matrix to empirical studies.
