1 Cross-level Information and Influence in Mandated Participatory Planning: Alternative Pathways to Sustainable Water Management in Germany’s Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive Tomas M. Koontz / Jens Newig Accepted for publication in Land Use Policy Abstract State and non-state actors increasingly work across scales to address complex environmental problems. Prior studies of stakeholder participation have not fully examined how collabora- tive processes play out in multi-level policymaking. At the same time, multi-level governance studies do not adequately investigate the impacts of stakeholder participation. This study ex- amines the cross-level interactions of influence and information in the participatory imple- mentation of the European Union’s Water Framework Directive. This directive is an example of mandated participatory planning, a relatively new approach that engages grassroots collab- oration through a top-down structure with nested policy cycles. A case analysis of three col- laborative planning units in the Land of Lower Saxony, within the federal governance struc- ture of Germany, finds limited influence and information transmission across levels via for- mal planning and implementation processes. However, the collaborative efforts did yield al- ternative pathways for achieving substantive progress towards the directive’s aims via learn- ing, coordination, and buy-in among participants. Key words: mandated participatory planning, policy implementation, multi-level govern- ance, participatory governance, EU Water Framework Directive, Gebietskooperationen