# Participation Process Comparison

**Version:** 3.0.6  
**Last reviewed UTC:** 2026-06-20T00:41:09Z  
**Maturity:** Reviewed  
**Intended user:** Decision owner, facilitator, governance reviewer, or community operator selecting and labeling a participation process.

## Purpose

Compare information, consultation, deliberation, co-decision, and delegated or binding authority using one decision context. The levels describe different authority relationships; they do not rank people or imply that the highest level is always appropriate.

## Comparison rule

Choose the level that matches the actual authority, stakes, review capacity, and published mandate. Label it honestly. A clear informational notice is better than a false consultation, and a bounded consultation is better than a co-decision claim the organization cannot honor.

## Quick comparison

| Level | Participant influence | Required trace | Key boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | Understand and correct factual errors | Notice, sources, effective date, correction path | Publication is not consent or participation |
| Consultation | Submit evidence and proposals before the owner decides | Open questions, channels, dispositions, final response | Advisory input is not shared authority |
| Deliberation | Exchange reasons and revise options | Agenda, sources, facilitation, revised options, minority report | Deliberation does not imply consensus |
| Co-decision | Share a bounded decision over named levers | Authority allocation, method, conflict rule, decision-change and follow-through records | Authority stops at the published scope |
| Delegated or binding | Initiate, approve, block, or require action under a mandate | Mandate, selection, accountability, expiry, appeal, revocation, implementation evidence | VNWO does not create or certify the mandate |

## Related files

- Schema: `https://vnwo.com/schemas/participation-process-comparison.schema.json`
- Fictional comparison: `https://vnwo.com/examples/participation-process-comparison.json`
- Participation guidance: `https://vnwo.com/participation/`

## Claim boundary

VNWO provides a static documentation pattern. It does not recruit participants, collect submissions, verify identity or representation, validate consent, certify fairness, democracy, accessibility, legal sufficiency, implementation quality, or institutional follow-through, and it does not guarantee that an organization acts on input.