Public Participation and Better Environmental Decisions is about a specific ¿promise¿ that participation holds for environmental decision-making. Many of the arguments for public participation in (inter)national environmental policy documents are functional, that is to say they see public participation as a means to an end. Sound solutions to environmental problems require participation beyond experts and political elites. Neglecting information from the public leads to legitimacy questions and potential conflicts. There is a discourse in the literature and in policy practice as to whether decision- making improves in quality as additional relevant information by the public is considered. The promise that public participation holds has to be