Research Report on Successful Practice of Policy Development with Citizens' Parliaments in Europe (Deliverable 6.1)

Resea ch Repo on
Success ul P ac ice o Policy
De elopmen wi h Ci izens’
Pa liamen s in Eu ope
Lau ence Monno (COMMIT)
Con ibu o s: Helmu Peissl and And ea Sedlaczek (COMMIT),
Rosema y Day (MIC), Miloš H och (CU) and B ankica Pe ko ić (MI)
DELIVERABLE 6.1, V1.0
MeDeMAP – Mapping Media o Fu u e Democ acies
G an Ag eemen numbe : 101094984
Funded by he Eu opean Union. Views and opinions
exp essed a e howe e hose o he au ho (s) only
and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean
Union o he Eu opean Resea ch Execu i e Agency.
Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing
au ho i y can be held esponsible o hem.
MeDeMAP p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s
HORIZON Resea ch and Inno a ion Ac ions unde G an Ag eemen No 101094984
2
Documen In o ma ion
P ojec
G an Ag eemen no.
101094984
Funding scheme
HORIZON
Resea ch and Inno a ion Ac ions
P ojec i le
Mapping Media o Fu u e
Democ acies
P ojec ac onym
MeDeMAP
P ojec s a ing da e
01/03/2023
Documen
Wo k package no.
6
Wo k package i le
Supply Mee s Demand
Wo k package lead bene icia y
P5
-
COMMIT
Task(s)
6.1
Deli e able no.
6.1
Deli e able i le
Resea ch
epo on success ul p ac ice o policy
de elopmen wi h ci izens’ pa liamen s in Eu ope
Deli e able ype
R
—
Documen , epo
Con ac ual da e o deli e able
31
.
12
.
2024
Ac ual da e o deli e able
13
.
0
1.2025
Edi o (s)
—
Au ho (s)
Lau ence Monno
(COMMIT)
Con ibu o s: Helmu Peissl and And ea Sedlaczek
(COMMIT), Rosema y Day (MIC), Miloš H och (CU)
and B ankica Pe ko ić (MI)
Re iewe (s)
Manuel José Damásio (Lusó ona), Bea a Klimkiewicz
(JU), And ea Miconi (IULM), Jose See hale (OEAW),
Nico Ca pen ie (CU)
Ve sion
1.0
S a us
Final
To al numbe o pages (including co e )
6
7
Dissemina ion le el
PU
-
Public
MeDeMAP p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s
HORIZON Resea ch and Inno a ion Ac ions unde G an Ag eemen No 101094984
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Table o Con en s
Execu i e summa y ........................................................................................................................................ 5
In oduc ion ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
1 F aming he scope. De ini ions and me hodology ........................................................................... 8
1.1 Resea ch ques ion and sou ces o da a ................................................................................... 8
1.2 An a emp o de ine Ci izens’ Pa liamen s, Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch, success ul
p ac ice and policy de elopmen .......................................................................................................... 10
1.2.1 Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch ............................................................................................ 11
1.2.2 How o assess he success o a CP and i s poli ical de elopmen ?................................ 13
1.3 Ci izens’ Pa liamen s, a esponse o he call o mo e di ec pa icipa ion in poli ics .. 14
1.3.1 The mul iplica ion o CPs expe iences .............................................................................. 15
1.3.2 Cha ac e is ics o CP models ............................................................................................. 16
1.3.3 “Success ul p ac ices”: OECD guidelines ......................................................................... 19
1.3.4 Adding a PAR dimension as a pa ame e o success ..................................................... 20
2 A e iew o good p ac ices o ci izens’ pa liamen s ...................................................................... 24
In his sec ion, we will p esen some examples o CPs a Eu opean and na ional le els,
d awing on he da abases men ioned in 1.1. ...................................................................................... 24
2.1 His o ical O e iew and Cu en T ends in Ci izen Pa icipa ion .................................... 24
2.2 Some p ominen expe iences in Eu ope ................................................................................ 25
2.2.1 Eu opean expe iences wi h CPs a EU le el ..................................................................... 25
2.2.2 Eu opean expe iences wi h CPs a na ional le el ............................................................ 26
2.3 Expe iences wi h CPs in WP6 pa ne coun ies ................................................................. 31
2.3.1 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in Aus ia .............................................................. 31
2.3.2 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in he Czech Republic .......................................... 38
2.3.3 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in Slo enia ............................................................ 39
2.3.4 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in I eland .............................................................. 41
3 Good p ac ice o CPs and PAR in iew o a CP model o he MeDeMAP p ojec ................ 43
3.1 How does PAR apply o he design and implemen a ion o WP6 CPs? .......................... 43
3.2 The ole o acili a ion. The A o Hos ing o enable a PAR app oach ........................... 45
3.3 Pe spec i es o CPs in WP6 pa ne coun ies ................................................................... 49
3.3.1 Pe spec i es o he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy in Aus ia ............. 49
3.3.2 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy in he Czech
Republic ............................................................................................................................................ 50
3.3.3 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy in Slo enia . 50
3.3.4 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy in I eland ... 51
MeDeMAP p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s
HORIZON Resea ch and Inno a ion Ac ions unde G an Ag eemen No 101094984
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3.4
Lessons lea ned and ecommenda ions
................................
................................
.................
51
3.4.1 Cons ain s .......................................................................................................................... 52
3.4.2 Quali y c i e ia and lessons om CPs’ expe ience ........................................................... 53
4 Re e ences ............................................................................................................................................. 60
5
Execu i e summa y
This deli e able (D6.1) is a esea ch epo on success ul p ac ice o policy de elopmen wi h
ci izens’ pa liamen s in Eu ope. I aims o answe he esea ch ques ion “Wha a e good
p ac ice examples o ci izens' pa liamen s and applica ions o he pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch
(PAR) app oach?”
The esea ch conduc ed o his deli e able aims o suppo he design o Ci izens'
Pa liamen s o be implemen ed in i e pa ne coun ies (Deli e able D6.2).
D6.1 consis s o h ee pa s.
Pa 1 p esen s he me hodology and a ious sou ces (academic li e a u e on ci izens'
pa liamen s and pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch, e alua ion epo s o ci izens' pa liamen s and
in e iews wi h p ac i ione s). Sec ion 1.3 examines how ci izens' pa liamen s espond o he
call o mo e di ec pa icipa ion in poli ics.
Pa 2 e iews good p ac ices o ci izens' pa liamen s, s a ing wi h a his o ical o e iew o
he di e en models (2.1), ollowed by a close s udy o some p ominen expe iences in
Eu ope (2.2), and ending wi h a ocus on expe iences wi h CPs in WP6 pa ne coun ies.
Pa 3 d aws lessons om he p ac ices p e iously analyzed. Wi h ega d o he
implemen a ion o Ci izens' Pa liamen s in Aus ia (COMMIT), he Czech Republic (CU),
I eland (MIC) and Slo enia (MI), and la e in an expe imen al online p ocess in Ge many
(OEAW), sec ion 3.1 e lec s on how PAR applies o he design and implemen a ion o WP6
CPs, and how acili a ion plays a ole in enabling a PAR app oach.
Sec ion 3.3 ocuses on he p ospec s o o ganizing a CP on media and democ acy in WP6
pa ne coun ies. Sec ion 3.4 concludes wi h a summa y o lessons lea ned and
ecommenda ions o he subsequen implemen a ion o he CPs (Deli e able D6.2).

6
In oduc ion
This “Resea ch Repo on success ul p ac ice o policy de elopmen wi h ci izens’ pa liamen s
in Eu ope” co esponds o Deli e able D6.1 o he MeDeMAP p ojec . I aims o answe he
esea ch ques ion “Wha a e good p ac ice examples o ci izens' pa liamen s and applica ions o he
pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch (PAR) app oach?”
D6.1 also aims o pa e he way o he implemen a ion o i e ci izens' pa liamen s on Media
and Democ acy as pa o MeDeMAP WP6. As s a ed in he MeDeMAP G an Ag eemen (GA),
he design o he ci izens' pa liamen s will be based on he esul s o Task 6.1. The e o e, he
esea ch conduc ed in D6.1 is clea ly o ien ed o suppo he pu pose o designing he ci izens'
pa liamen s in he o ma o an audience council (GA, Annex 1, Pa B, p. 17), while applying a
pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch (PAR) app oach.
In Wo k Package 6, “Supply Mee s demand”, we ocus on he hema ic junc ion be ween he
esea ch conduc ed by he o he WPs on media sys ems and egula ion (WP3), media supply
(WP4) and media demand (WP5) and guided by he heo e ical amewo k laid ou in WP2. A
pa icula i y o WP6 is he adop ion o a pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch app oach h ough he
implemen a ion o ci izens' pa liamen s.
In WP6, ci izens om i e MeDeMAP pa ne coun ies a e in ol ed in he esea ch p ocess.
O ganized in ci izens' pa liamen s and based on he esul s o he o he wo k packages, he
pa icipan s will e lec , delibe a e and o mula e ecommenda ions based on hei expec a ions
ega ding he p o-democ a ic ole o he media and hei pa icipa ion h ough and in he media.
The p ocess and he ou comes o he ci izens' pa liamen s will be dissemina ed o aise he
awa eness o a wide public, media s akeholde s and decision-make s on he issue o media and
democ acy. The esul s o he ci izens' pa liamen s, in he o m o s a emen s and
ecommenda ions, will be o icially p esen ed o media s akeholde s and/o policy-make s who
egula e media sys ems in he i e coun ies.
The p ocess and he ou comes o he ci izens' pa liamen s in he o m o esolu ions de eloped
and adop ed du ing he p ocess will be u he analyzed o p oduce da a on how Eu opean
ci izens en ision he u u e o he Fu u e oadmap o Eu opean media and democ acy (D6.4).
Ul ima ely, his da a will be in eg a ed in o he mul i-laye map o Eu opean poli ical
in o ma ion en i onmen s based on he esul s o he esea ch led by he o he WPs. Du ing
he ci izen pa liamen s sessions, da a will also be ga he ed o documen he pa icipa o y
p ocess o D6.5 (Lea le s and online guidance on pa icipa o y media p ac ices) and o D2.4
(Theo y-d i en e-analysis on democ acy, pa icipa ion and ep esen a ion based on he
ci izens' pa liamen s in e en ions).
The esea ch o D6.1 and D6.2 is conduc ed in pa allel. While he design o he ci izens'
pa liamen s (Deli e able 6.2) is based on he analysis o bes p ac ices (D6.1), he aim o D6.1
is o p o ide use ul in o ma ion o he implemen a ion o ci izens pa liamen s in he o m o
an audience council and based on a pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch (PAR) app oach. In addi ion,
easibili y and cons ain s will shape he inal design o he ci izens pa liamen s and hus
in luence he ocus o he bes p ac ice esea ch.
7
The esea ch me hodology o D6.1 includes desk esea ch by analyzing a icles and epo s
om a ious academic and non-academic sou ces and in e iews wi h s akeholde s (o ganize s,
e alua o s o acili a o s o ci izens pa liamen s). As s a ed in he GA (Annex 1, Pa A, p. 12),
"p oduc i e me hods o acili a ion, e.g. a o hos ing”, will also be explo ed.
The e a e many epo s on p e ious expe iences wi h ci izens pa liamen s in Eu ope. The
challenge, once we ha e iden i ied he "uni e sal" p inciples o be ollowed o a "success ul"
(o high-quali y) p ocess, is o iden i y wha lessons can be lea ned om good and bad
expe iences ha a e ele an o ou own ci izen pa liamen design (D6.2).
Ul ima ely, he aim o his epo is p ac ical. I aims o iden i y ea u es o good p ac ice o
ci izen pa liamen s and ea u es o good p ac ice o PAR applica ions ha would be ele an o
inspi e he design o a model ci izen pa liamen in iew o Task 6.2.
Th ee o he MeDeMAP WP6 pa ne s, Cha les Uni e si y (CU), Ma y Immacula e College
(MIC) and Mi o ni Ins i u (MI) con ibu ed o his epo by answe ing a ques ionnai e on hei
na ional expe iences wi h ci izens pa liamen s. The esponses o his ques ionnai e ha e been
included in Pa 2.2 o his epo .
Th oughou his esea ch epo , we use he abb e ia ion CP o he e m Ci izen Pa liamen .
Quo a ions om non-English ex s we e ansla ed om Ge man and F ench wi h he
assis ance o DeepL h ough he ex
8
1 F aming he scope. De ini ions and me hodology
1.1 Resea ch ques ion and sou ces o da a
"Wha a e good p ac ice examples o Ci izens' Pa liamen s (CPs) and applica ions o he
Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch (PAR) app oach?” is he esea ch ques ion de ined in he
MeDeMAP G an Ag eemen . The i le o deli e able D6.1 adds a dimension, he ques ion o
"success ul p ac ices o policy de elopmen " wi h ci izens' pa liamen s.
Fo his D6.1 epo , which aims o in o m he app op ia e design o CPs (D6.2), he i s ask
is o iden i y he gene al objec i es se by he G an Ag eemen , pa icula ly in e ms o o ma
and PAR app oach, aking in o accoun ime and budge cons ain s and he speci ic con ex s
o he implemen ing coun ies. As success c i e ia, we will e e in sec ion 1.3.3 o he guidelines
de ined by he OECD.
Based on an academic and non-academic li e a u e e iew, including heo y, compa a i e
analysis o CPs' p ac ice and p ac ical guidelines, we will p o ide ope a ional de ini ions o he
concep s o ci izens' pa liamen , Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch (PAR) and success ul p ac ice o
policy de elopmen .
The esea ch o D6.1 and D6.2 was conduc ed in pa allel. While he design o he CPs
(Deli e able 6.2) is based on he analysis o CP bes p ac ices (D6.1), D6.1 aims o p o ide use ul
in o ma ion o he implemen a ion o CPs in an audience council o ma and based on a
pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch (PAR) app oach. In addi ion, easibili y and cons ain s (such as
budge and imeline) shape he inal design o he CPs and he e o e in luence he ocus o he
esea ch on bes p ac ices. The goal o ge ing ci izens o deal wi h highly complex issues in a
limi ed amoun o ime also in luences he design and acili a ion me hod.
The esea ch on good p ac ice examples o ci izens' pa liamen s and pa icipa o y ac ion
esea ch was conduc ed as a li e a u e e iew o a ious academic and non-academic sou ces,
supplemen ed by in e iews.
To conduc a ho ough and ele an e iew, we ollowed he guidelines o he in eg a i e
e iew me hod (C onin & Geo ge, 2020), which was men ioned and applied by Doudaki and
Filimono in D2.3 (2023).
The c i e ia o selec he li e a u e we e as ollows: while we examined li e a u e dealing wi h
he concep s and his o y o CPs and PAR om ea lie pe iods, we a o ed mo e ecen
compa a i e analyses ( om 2010 onwa d) and case s udies. We ocused on li e a u e wi h an
empi ical o ope a ional ocus. Wi h ega d o monog aphic epo s on indi idual CPs, we
looked a he comp ehensi eness o he epo (going h ough he en i e CP p ocess) and
selec ed some emblema ic cases. We also ga e p e e ence o he expe iences o CPs in WP6
pa ne coun ies. Al hough he li e a u e on CPs is ich, i mainly deals wi h expe iences
ini ia ed by public au ho i ies and a o s la ge ci izen assemblies. This is one o he easons why
he li e a u e e iew was complemen ed by 10 in e iews wi h p ac i ione s, om g ass oo s
o ganiza ions, CP o ganize s and CP acili a o s in Aus ia and Ge many.
9
The ollowing sea ch ools we e used o sea ch o academic and non-academic publica ions
online and o line: Google Schola , Web o Science, lib a y eposi o ies and majo academic
publishe s. The MeDeMAP wo k package leade s we e in i ed o sugges li e a u e on CPs in
hei coun ies. Thei sugges ions shed ligh on in e es ing expe iences wi h CPs. In addi ion,
CU, Mic and MI, who a e implemen ing pa ne s in WP6, esponded o a ques ionnai e abou
hei expe iences wi h CPs in hei coun ies.
Thus, ou main sou ces make up he da a used o he epo :
 Academic li e a u e on CPs and PAR (poli ical and sociological concep s, his o ical
app oach and compa a i e analysis)
 E alua ion epo s and inal epo s o a selec ion o CPs
 In e iews wi h p ac i ione s (o ganiza ions and ins i u ions in ol ed in he
implemen a ion o CPs)
 Guidelines published by ins i u ions and ci ic o ganisa ions suppo ing CPs
Academic li e a u e on CPs and PAR
The academic li e a u e on CPs p o ided insigh s in o he heo y o pa icipa o y and
delibe a i e democ acy and compa a i e analysis o expe iences wi h pa icipa o y democ acy.
One limi a ion o his ype o sou ce was ha hese publica ions ocused mainly on he
expe iences o la ge ci izen assemblies ini ia ed by public au ho i ies.
Wi h he suppo o ou pa ne s a OEAW and CU and building on H och (2024), we also
e iewed he academic li e a u e on pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch (PAR) o app oach he
concep om a p ac ical pe spec i e, wi h he ul ima e goal o unde s anding how PAR can be
implemen ed in CPs.
E aluaon epo s and final epo s o a selecon o CPs
To esea ch he case s udies o CPs in Eu ope, we consul ed se e al da abases o ins i u ions
and g ass oo s o ganiza ions and e iewed he epo s and e alua ion o a ious CPs.
The da abases we e he ollowing:
 The OECD da abase o ep esen a i e delibe a i e p ocesses con ains 733 examples
om a ound he wo ld om 1979 o 2023 a he ime o i s las consul a ion (19.11.24).
 The pla o m bue ge a .de, a websi e o he non-p o i o ganiza ion “Meh
Demok a ie", documen s CPs in Ge many and ab oad.
h ps://www.bue ge a .de/bue ge ae e/bundeswei e-bue ge ae e/
 Pa icipedia is a collabo a i e eposi o y o ci izen pa icipa ion case s udies suppo ed
since 2015 by he Social Sciences and Humani ies Resea ch Council o Canada.
 Go Vocal (ex Ci izenLab) publishes case s udies o digi al pa icipa o y p ocesses a he
local le el.
 We also consul ed he analysis p o ided by he Re iew o he esul s o The POLITICIZE
Da ase (Paulis e al. 2021).
The epo s and e alua ions o he CPs u ned ou o be a e y good sou ce o in o ma ion on
good p ac ices and p e ious expe iences wi h CPs. Mos o hem also p o ided use ul
ecommenda ions.
16
Wa e land o ganized by he g ass oo s G1000 Ne he lands b anch in he Ne he lands a
egional le el on housing wi h 330 pa icipan s. I had a hyb id o ma wi h 5 ace- o- ace days
and online sessions (OECD Delibe a i e Democ acy Da abase, 2023).
The POLITICIZE Da abase, a esea ch p ojec o Ho izon 2020 esea ch and inno a ion
p og amme, also p o ides a s a is ical o e iew o he cha ac e is ics o 105 CPs ha ook
place a na ional and egional le els in 18 Eu opean coun ies be ween 2000 and 2020.
In hei analysis o he POLITICIZE Da abase, Paulis e al. show ha “ he smalles mini-publics in
he da ase ga he a ound 10 pa icipan s. The la ges ones each se e al hund ed pa icipan s.” The
Icelandic Na ional Assembly, which was se up in 2010 in he a e ma h o he inancial and
economic c isis, ga he ed a eco d o 950 ci izens. In hei s udy, hey egis e ed abou a hi d
o mini-publics wi h 20 pa icipan s o less (32.2 pe cen ) and a ound 27.8 pe cen ga he ing
om 20 o 50 pa icipan s, and 17.4 pe cen be ween 50 and 100 pa icipan s (Paulis e al.
2021).
Coun ies such as I eland, Belgium, Denma k, he Ne he lands, Ge many and he Uni ed
Kingdom, and mo e ecen ly F ance, ha e been expe imen ing wi h ci izen pa icipa ion o
yea s. In some pa s o Eu ope, such as he wes e n Aus ian p o ince o Vo a lbe g and he
Ge man-speaking communi y o Eas Belgium, ci izen consul a ions in he o m o ci izens'
pa liamen s ha e e en become an in eg al pa o policy-making. O he coun ies, such as he
Czech Republic, s ill had no expe ience in 2024.
Ou side o Eu ope, Canada is conside ed he pionee o he wa e o la ge CPs, and Aus alia
has a well-expe ienced p ac ice a bo h ede al and s a e le els.
In i s comp ehensi e compa a i e s udy conduc ed in 2020 on nea ly 300 cases, he OECD has
a emp ed o classi y di e en o ms o CPs ini ia ed by public au ho i ies. The classi ica ion
e ained e e s o his o ical "models" wi h di e en cha ac e is ics: Ci izens' Ju ies, Planning
Cells, Consensus Con e ences, Ci izens' Councils, Delibe a i e Polls, whose cha ac e is ics ha e
been highligh ed by Escoba & Els ub (2017).
1.3.2 Cha ac e is ics o CP models
The i s o hese models, Ci izen ju ies and Planning cells we e de eloped in he ea ly 1970s in
he Uni ed S a es by Ned C osby (Je e son Cen e ) and in Ge many by Pe e Dienel (Uni e si y
o Wuppe al). A g oup o 12 o 25 pa icipan s o ci izen ju ies and 6 o 20 o planning cells
mee o 2 o 5 days o discuss an issue and make ecommenda ions. In hei o e iew o he
cha ac e is ics o he di e en o ms o CP, Nielsen & Sø ensen (2023) emphasize ha hey a e
no linked o poli ical agendas.
Consensus con e ences we e ini ia ed in he la e 1980s by he Danish Boa d o Technology o
ad ise pa liamen a ians on science and echnology issues. They ga he ed a panel o 10-25
ci izens and in oduced a lea ning phase be o e he delibe a ion. Nielsen & Sø ensen (2023, p.
131) no e ha hey a e a op-down me hod, ini ia ed by he au ho i ies wi h a iew o building
consensus o enhancing " he go e nabili y o po en ial con lic s".
The Delibe a i e polls c ea ed in he USA in 1988 by James Fishkin and he Cen e o
Delibe a i e Polling, wi h la ge "samples" o 130-500 pa icipan s, aim p ima ily a ga he ing
opinions on a speci ic issue.

17
The inno a ion o he ci izens’ assemblies in he 2000’s is ha al hough hey a e a op-down
p ocess, hey solici ci izens o add ess sensi i e poli ical o social challenges. The “wa e” o
la ge ci izens’ assemblies was ini ia ed by B i ish Colombia (Canada) on an elec o al e o m in
2003. I igge ed a e e endum ( ha ailed o alida e he esolu ions o he CP). On a io
(Canada), he Ne he lands and I eland also s a ed la ge CPs on poli ical o socie al issues in he
ollowing yea s.
Table 1: O e iew o he di e en his o ical models o CPs
CP o m
O igin/
his o y
N .
Pa ici
pan s
Compac /
o e se e al
weekends
N . o
days
S ages
Ou come
Selec ion
p ocess
Add essees
Ci izen
assembly
2004,
Canada
100-
160
8-14 mon hs
o e WE
20-30
Lea ning/consul a
ion
delibe a ion
adop ion
de ailed
ecommenda
ions
andom
+sel selec ion
public
ins i u ion
Ci izens’ ju y
/panel
1971,
USA,
(C osby)
12-26
Compac
2-6
Lea ning/
consul a ion
delibe a ion
adop ion
collec i e
posi ion
epo
andom
selec ion
sponso
mass media
Ci izens’ ju y
/panel
Canada,
Aus alia
36-45
o e WE
2-6
Lea ning/consul a
ion
delibe a ion
adop ion
collec i e
posi ion
epo
andom
selec ion
+ co ec ion
Ci izens’
Council
(Bü ge a )
Vo a lbe
g Aus ia
(Jim
Rough)
12-16
Compac
1-2
delibe a ion
adop ion
Recommenda
ions
andom
selec ion
Public
au ho i ies =
o ganize s
Consensus
Con e ence
1987
Danish
Boa d o
echnolog
y
10-25
compac
o e WE
7-8
10-30
In o ma ion
delibe a ion
collec i e
posi ion
epo
andom
+sel selec ion
pa liamen
mass media
Planning cell
1970,
Ge many
Dienel
100-
500
25-50
Compac
3-5
In o ma ion
delibe a ion
su ey
opinions
collec i e
posi ion
epo
andom
selec ion
sponso
mass media
Delibe a i e
polls
1994,
USA,
Fishkin
100-
500 compac 2-3
In o ma ion
delibe a ion
su ey
opinions
andom
selec ion
sponso
mass media
18
In i s comp ehensi e compa a i e s udy o nea ly 300 cases om OECD coun ies, he OECD
(2020) p o ides s a is ics on he model, he du a ion, he numbe o pa icipan s, hei selec ion,
he opic and u he indica o s. Fo example, acco ding o OECD (2020) he mos equen
o ma (37.1 pe cen o he documen ed CPs) las s 2–3 days (i.e. a weekend and hal a day). All
hese pieces o in o ma ion a e now a ailable in he OECD da abase co e ing 733 CPs om
1979 o 2023. (OECD da abase on delibe a i e democ acy, 2023, accessed on No embe 15,
2024).
The "delibe a i e wa e," as he OECD calls i s s udy, e e s o a se ies o CPs ha sha e common
cha ac e is ics, he main ea u es o which ha e been highligh ed p e iously in his s udy.
T ending opics
Du ing he pe iod 2000-2005 “ he mos o en deba ed policy issues we e heal h and science-
ela ed de elopmen (especially in Denma k, F ance and Ge many). In a second phase, a ound 2010,
he en i onmen became by a he mos o en delibe a ed issue. Issues ela ed o planning (mobili y,
anspo , u ban planning) became also a equen opic conside ed by DMPs. Finally, mo e ecen ly
(2015–2020) ins i u ional issues eme ged as a ho opic o se e al DMPs (in I eland, Luxembou g,
Es onia, Finland, Iceland, Sco land.“ (Paulis e al. 2021, p. 537).
Ano he e olu ion conce ns he emi . Acco ding o Paulis e al. (2021), CPs wi h open agendas
ha e become mo e common since 2015. We a e also seeing a endency o la ge ci izens'
assemblies o ocus on one issue a he han a se ies o issues, as was he case wi h he i s
na ional CPs in Canada, I eland, and F ance.
C i e ia o he Selecon o Pa cipan s
“The mos equen ones a e sociodemog aphic c i e ia such as age, gende , educa ion, occupa ion,
amily composi ion, mig a ion backg ound, o place o esidence. Ye , some ec ui men p ocesses
added o he c i e ia. In some cases, hey ake in o conside a ion he poli ical posi ions o ci izens. Fo
example, he composi ion o he Sco ish Ci izens Assembly ook h ee poli ical a i udes in o
accoun s.” (Paulis e al. 2021).
Depending on he opic, beha io al c i e ia migh be ele an o ge a panel wi h b oad
pe spec i es. The CP o ganized in 2017 by he B ussels Regional Pa liamen o o mula e
ecommenda ions on mobili y selec ed pa icipan s ep esen ing he ca ego ies o pedes ians,
ca use s, public anspo use s and cyclis s (Paulis e al. 2021).
Decision modus
Paulis e al. (2021) no e an e olu ion in he mode o eaching decision. Fo a long ime, he
dominan app oach inspi ed by he Du ch model o he consensus con e ences was “ he idea
ha h ough delibe a ion, pa icipan s will be able o each a consensus on a ew elemen s ha hey
can all suppo . (…) Ye , o e he las decade, he same p ojec shows ha is has become mo e
common o o ganise o mal o es among pa icipan s a he end o he delibe a i e p ocess and o
e ain ecommenda ions o ideas ha eached he wides majo i y.”
19
In CPs aking place in he 2010’s assessed by he OECD (2020, p 37), “… he inal se o
ecommenda ions is o ed on by all pa icipan s, mos commonly by a majo i y o e, esul ing in a
de ailed epo and o en a mino i y epo , which acknowledges o he opinions ha we e exp essed
bu did no achie e majo i y consensus. “
Howe e , acco ding o inal and e alua ion epo s o mo e ecen CPs o smalle size, we ind
ha hey end o seek consen a he han consensus.
1.3.3 “Success ul p ac ices”: OECD guidelines
Wha can be conside ed a success ul p ac ice o a CP when based on a PAR app oach? Wha
kind o "policy de elopmen " shall be conside ed as success ul?
I is icky o de ine a p io i wha is success ul, since success will depend mainly on a ge ed
objec i es ela ed o a speci ic con ex .
This epo aims o p o ide ele an o ien a ions o he design o CPs on Media and
Democ acy as pa o he MeDeMAP p ojec , aking in o accoun speci ic p ojec cons ain s
and na ional con ex s. Thus, we will highligh he success c i e ia ha enjoy consensus in he
academic and non-academic li e a u e while poin ing ou when hey migh be less app op ia e
in ou con ex s.
We should bea in mind ha he OECD epo only e iews CPs ini ia ed by public au ho i ies,
i.e. mainly la ge o ma CPs and CPs o which hese au ho i ies ha e commi ed hemsel es o
implemen he ou comes in hei policy de elopmen s.
OECD “Good P acce P inciples o Delibe a e P ocesses o Public Decision Making”
and success pa ame e s
Based on he analysis o 300 ep esen a e delibe a e p acces (inia ed by public
ins uons), he much-ci ed OECD s udy (OECD, 2020) p o ides a e y use ul ca alogue o
"Good P acce P inciples o Delibe a e P ocesses o Public Decision Making". These
p inciples, which could also be as a code o e hics o CPs, a e emb aced by mos p accal
guidelines published by associaons suppo ng CPs. In addion, he OECD s udy also defines
pa ame e s o success.
The key elemen s p oposed by he OECD as s anda ds o good p ac ice (2020, pp. 118-119)
and e e ed o as "p inciples" in he OECD s udy a e:
1. Ha ing a pu pose ela ed o a public issue;
2. Accoun abili y: “The e should be in luence on public decisions.” (We mus emembe
ha he s udy ocused on public ini ia ed CPs).
3. T anspa ency;
4. Rep esen a i eness, de ined as “be a mic ocosm o he gene al public”, whe eby in
addi ion o demog aphic c i e ia he a i udinal pa ame e migh be aken in o
accoun “depending on he con ex ”;
5. Inclusi eness;
6. In o ma ion om expe s (in he o m o a lea ning phase);
7. G oup delibe a ion (“Pa icipan s should be able o ind common g ound o unde pin
hei collec i e ecommenda ions o he public au ho i y.”;
20
8. The design should ensu e enough ime;
9. In eg i y (coo dina ion is done by a con ac o independen om he public
au ho i ies);
10. Respec o p i acy
11. The p ocess should addi ionally be e alua ed by he pa icipan s.
Al hough mos o hese p inciples a e now widely accep ed as guidelines by academics and
p ac i ione s in Eu ope, no all CP o ma s apply all o hem. Fo example, he Vo a lbe g
Ci izens' Councils (Bü ge ä e), based on he model de eloped by Jim Rough, do no include a
lea ning phase wi h expe s. They las only 1.5 consecu i e days (ins ead o he minimum 4
days ecommended by he OECD), and he acili a ion me hod (dynamic acili a ion) ensu es
ha each pa icipan has a oice bu doesn' encou age dialogue be ween pa icipan s.
Pa ame e s
The OECD s udy u he p oposes ou main pa ame e s o success, which a e ela ed o he
abo e men ioned “p inciples”. Chap e 4 (OECD 2020, p. 80-114) is dedica ed o “Wha is a
‘success ul’ ep esen a i e delibe a i e p ocess o public decision making?”
These a e:
- Design in eg i y de ined as “ he p ocedu al c i e ia which ensu e ha a p ocess is pe cei ed
as ai by he public and in line wi h p inciples o good p ac ice”;
- Sound delibe a ion
- In luen ial ecommenda ions and ac ions
- Impac on he wide public
“Success ul p acce o policy de elopmen s”
D6.1 is a “Resea ch Repo on success ul p ac ice o policy de elopmen wi h ci izens’
pa liamen s in Eu ope”. Wi h policy de elopmen s, we ejoin wha is labeled by he OECD as
“in luence on public decisions” and “impac on he wide public”, u he de ined as “ he seconda y
and long- e m e ec s on e icacy and public a i udes” (OECD, 2020, p. 82).
I can be measu ed in many di e en ways, depending on he objec i es and con ex . Mos
s udies, like he OECD, ocus on la ge CPs o ganized by public au ho i ies. As a esul , hey
expec commi men om he o ganizing adminis a ions and ollow-up.
Fo he UK-based NGO In ol e, good p ac ice implies ha “ he p ocess should be in eg a ed in o
he exis ing poli ical sys em” and ha “ he sponso s mus commi o aking ac ion on he
ecommenda ions” (G een, 2024). This may no o only pa ly apply i he ini ia i e comes om
ci il socie y. In his case, di e en c i e ia and di e en kinds o commi men s should apply.
Ano he c i e ion could be o conside he indi ec impac p oduced by aising awa eness in he
public deba e, in ol ing he au ho i ies, ci izens and he media.
1.3.4 Adding a PAR dimension as a pa ame e o success
The ask o WP6 is o implemen he pa icipa o y pa o he MeDeMAP esea ch p ojec
h ough he ci izens' pa liamen s. The esea ch ques ion guiding D6.1 is "Wha a e good p ac ice
21
examples o Ci izens' Pa liamen s (CPs) and applica ions o he Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch (PAR)
app oach?”.
Thus, he Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch (PAR) dimension is a co e elemen in he design and
implemen a ion p ocess o MeDeMAPs CPs, and we will add he PAR pa ame e o he
p e iously men ioned p inciples and c i e ia o success.
How does PAR apply o he design and implemen a ion o WP6 CPs? Wha could good
p ac ices look like? A PAR app oach will impac WP6 in a ious ways:
- The CP’s successi e s ages (lea ning, delibe a ing, adop ing esolu ions) should enable
a ci cula and i e a i e p ocess, ollowing he PAR cycle o obse ing, e lec ing, ac ing,
e alua ing and modi ying, which will be de ailed in sec ion 3.1;
- Pa icipan s should, wi hin he gene al amewo k o he CP heme and he h ee main
opics (media sys ems, ep esen a ion and pa icipa ion in and h ough he media), be
gi en he space o de elop sub opics hemsel es.
As Lawson (2015, p. 2) poin s ou , PAR enables he inclusion and empowe men o he ci izens
conce ned by he esea ch p ojec : “I gi es ci izens oices and choices” and makes hem ac o s
in he sea ch o a solu ion and he acquisi ion o knowledge.
Gi ing oice o conce ned ci izens wi hin a esea ch p ojec is in i sel a pa icipa o y p ac ice.
The philosophy o PAR is based on in ol ing ci izens in he esea ch o which hey a e he
subjec s, so as (1) o make he mos o hei insigh s and (2) o in ol e hem in he design and
he decision-making p ocess. A u he deg ee o “PAR-i ica ion” will be o in ol e hem also in
he e alua ion o he p ocess.
PAR mee s delibe a e heo y
Blum, Collell & T eichel (2022, p. 295) de ine delibe a ion as a “dialogical o m o decision-
making” and ad oca e o “The magic o delibe a ion” as a me hod.
Delibe a ion e e s o public delibe a ion (as opposed o in e nal delibe a ion) and o g oup
delibe a ion (as opposed o indi idual delibe a ion), which emphasizes he need o ind common
g ound. I equi es ha pa icipan s a e well-in o med abou a opic and conside di e en
pe spec i es in o de o a i e a a public judgemen (no opinion) abou “wha can we s ongly
ag ee on?” (OECD, 2020, pp. 11-12)
Fo Blum and al. (2022, p. 296) “ he success o delibe a i e o ma s also equi es balanced
in o ma ion on he cu en s a e o knowledge, he oppo uni y o cla i y ques ions wi h echnical
expe s and expe ienced mode a ion.” (Blum and al., 2022, p. 296)
They add ha delibe a ion mus be open-ended: i is no clea in ad ance wha he ou come o
he p ocess will be (Blum and al., 2022, p. 303).
Top-down s. boom-up
Usually, he dis inc ion be ween op-down o bo om-up e e s o he ac o s behind he CP:
Has i been ini ia ed by public au ho i ies o g ass oo s mo emen s? Bu as Bussu & Fleuß
ema k, he deg ee o openness o ci izens' pa icipa ion in he design p ocess also plays a ole.
“A bo om-up app oach, by con as , is cha ac e ized by a mo e open s uc u e ha allows

22
pa icipan s o se he agenda, wi h g ea e emphasis on ci izen-d i en ques ions” (Bussu & Fleuß,
2023, p. 144).
G adually, bo om-up ini ia ed CPs ha e become mo e open. “The e a e inc easing examples o
bo om-up p ocesses opened by s a e ac o s which in ol e he public di ec ly in agenda se ing as
an a emp o ackle dis us and g apple wi h wicked p oblems, om inc eased pola iza ion o
socie al impac s o new echnology o clima e change. Le G and Déba launched in F ance by
P esiden Mac on in Janua y 2019 could be seen as a ecen example o his mo e hyb id app oach”
(Bussu & Fleuß, 2023, p. 144).
Whe e and o wha ex en can pa cipan s be in ol ed in he design p ocess?
As poin ed ou by Ca pen ie & Wimme (2024a), he e will be a ension be ween CPs pu poses
(adop ing esolu ions on h ee complex opics) and an ex ensi e PAR app oach in ol ing he
CP pa icipan s in he design p ocess. Ne e heless, pa icipa ion in and h ough he CPs will
occu a se e al le els.
Typical s ages o a PAR p ojec
“Resea ch in PAR ypically goes h ough a cycle: Planning, Ac ion, Re lec ion, E alua ion“ pose Pain,
Whi man, and Milledge (2019, p. 3/8). In hei Pa icipa o y Ac ion Resea ch Toolki hey ha e
ou lined ypical s ages o a PAR p ocess adap ed om Kindon e al. (2007).
Phases o ac ion and e lec ion al e na e in an i e a i e way:
Ac ion: Es ablish ela ionships and common agenda wi h all s akeholde s. Collabo a i ely
decide on issues
Re lec ion: On esea ch design, e hics, knowledges and accoun abili y
Ac ion: Build ela ionships. Iden i y oles and esponsibili ies. Collec i ely design esea ch
p ocesses and ools. Discuss po en ial ou comes
Re lec ion: On esea ch ques ions, design, wo king ela ionships and in o ma ion equi ed
Ac ion: Wo k oge he o implemen esea ch and collec da a. Enable pa icipa ion o all
membe s. Collabo a i ely analyse indings. Collabo a i ely plan u u e ac ions
Re lec ion: On wo king oge he . Has pa icipa ion wo ked? Wha else do we need o do?
Ac ion: Begin o wo k on eeding esea ch back o all pa icipan s and plan o eedback on
p ocess and indings
Re lec ion: E alua e bo h he ac ion and e lec ion p ocesses as a whole
Ac ion Collec i ely iden i y u u e esea ch and impac s
(Pain e al., 2019, p. 3/8)
F om his, we could in e ha in a CP, ci izens could pa icipa e in:
- Co-de ining he pu pose and he issues: In mos CPs, he pu pose o he p ocess (pa ing
he way o a poli ical s ep, aising public awa eness, e c.) is p ima ily decided by he
o ganize s. In con as , we will see in 2.2 examples o ins i u ionalized p ocesses whe e
ci izens se he agenda.
23
- The p ocess design: The phases o he CPs, wi h o wi hou a lea ning s age, wi h a long
o sho i e a i e o no delibe a ion phase, a e mos ly p ede e mined o o ganiza ional
easons.
- The decision modus: (consensus, ag eemen o majo i y o e) a e also mos ly p e-
de e mined.
- The analysis o he esul s: CP pa icipan s a e almos ne e in ol ed in he collec ion
and analysis o he esul s o hei delibe a ions. Implemen ing a eedback analysis will
be a speci ici y o he MeDeMAP p ojec .
As a unique social expe ience, each CP design p o ides mo e o less PAR expe ience a di e en
s ages o he p ocess.
24
2 A e iew o good p ac ices o ci izens’ pa liamen s
In his sec ion, we will p esen some examples o CPs a Eu opean and na ional le els, d awing
on he da abases men ioned in 1.1.
2.1 His o ical O e iew and Cu en T ends in Ci izen Pa icipa ion
In he ea ly 2000s, he Canadian p o inces o B i ish Columbia and On a io emb aced he
delibe a i e ool o policymaking, ini ia ing he wa e o la ge-scale ci izen assemblies
con ened by public au ho i ies. In ecen yea s, his CP o ma has become popula a he
na ional le el in a g owing numbe o coun ies, including Aus alia, he Uni ed Kingdom,
I eland, Ge many, and F ance. Meanwhile, expe iences wi h di e en ypes o ci izens'
pa liamen s o a smalle size ha e lou ished a a ious adminis a i e le els, especially a he
egional and municipal le els. In he p o ince o Vo a lbe g in wes e n Aus ia and in he
Ge man-speaking communi y o Eas Belgium, he delibe a i e ins umen has been in eg a ed
in o he egula policy-making p ocess. Public au ho i ies and g ass oo s associa ions in ol ed
in CPs a e o en e y willing o sha e hei expe ise because hey see hei concep and p ac ice
as a success.
Two ci izens' assemblies s and ou as miles ones in he con empo a y his o y o delibe a i e
democ acy. The i s o be held on a na ional scale, in B i ish Columbia in 2003-2004 on
elec o al e o m wi h 160 ci izens, and he I ish Ci izens' Assemblies o 2013-2014 and 2016-
2018, because he ci izens' ecommenda ions we e ollowed by e e enda ha led o signi ican
poli ical change and social e olu ion, in oducing same-sex ma iage and he igh o abo ion,
espec i ely.
The "Ins uonalizaon" o CPs
In Eu ope (and be o e in Canada and Aus alia), se e al ci ies and egions ha e ins i u ionalized
he use o a ious o ms o CPs. In p ac ice, his means ei he ha he e is a pe manen
s uc u e wi h o a ing ci izens, such as he Pe manen Ci izens' Council o he Ge man-
speaking Communi y o Belgium, which was es ablished in 2019 and inspi ed The Ci izens'
Clima e Assembly in B ussels (2023) o he Milan Pe manen Ci izen Assembly (2021). The
Lisbon Ci izens' Council es ablished in 2022 as “pe manen ” is howe e s ill no ancho ed in he
decision-making p ocess.
Ano he ype o ins i u ionaliza ion occu s when he law de ines he modali ies o con ening
a CP, namely when a popula consul a ion ini ia ed by ci izens has collec ed a ce ain numbe
o signa u es in suppo . This is he case in he Aus ian p o ince o Vo a lbe g. They a e usually
o ganized and ca ied ou by he municipali y o he egion. The Pe manen Ci izens' Council o
he Ge man-speaking Communi y o Belgium is implemen ed by he NGO G1000, bu inanced
and supe ised by he egional pa liamen . (The OECD Delibe a i e Democ acy Da abase,
2023).
25
2.2 Some p ominen expe iences in Eu ope
2.2.1 Eu opean expe iences wi h CPs a EU le el
In 2019, ollowing he Eu opean Commission's Whi e Pape on he Fu u e o Eu ope (2017),
he new P esiden o he Eu opean Commission, on de Leyen, announced he c ea ion o a
wo-yea con e ence on he u u e o Eu ope.
Be ween June 2021 and May 2022, 800 Eu opean ci izens, di ided in o ou panels o 200
pa icipan s, discussed he economy and social jus ice (panel 1), Eu opean democ acy/ alues,
igh s and he ule o law (panel 2), clima e change, en i onmen and heal h (panel 3) and he
EU in he wo ld and mig a ion (panel 4).
Each o he panels me o h ee weekend sessions. In Session 1 ( ace- o- ace), pa icipan s
iden i ied opics linked o hei panels; in Session 2 (online), hey iden i ied issues and p oduced
o ien a ions and in Session 3 (hyb id: ace- o- ace and online o pa icipan s impeded), hey
p io i ized he o ien a ions and ine- uned hem in o inal ecommenda ions.
The panels’ discussions we e nu u ed by he in e en ions o policy expe s. They also
in eg a ed he inpu s om o he ci izens ga he ed on a mul ilingual digi al pla o m. In a u he
s ep, panel pa icipan s me in Con e ence Plena ies wi h Membe s o he Eu opean Pa liamen
and o he ins i u ional ep esen a i es o p esen and discuss he ecommenda ions de eloped
in he panels. Mos o he delibe a i e p ocess ook place in subg oups o 8-12 ci izens (Jones
e al., 2022, pp. 25-26).
I was expec ed ha each sub-g oup o he panels would p oduce one o i e ecommenda ions,
eached by consensus, in he o m o a s a emen iden i ying he desi ed change o policy
ac ion. The s a emen should be accompanied by a jus i ica ion and a lis o he o ien a ions on
which i is based.
The Final epo highligh s among o he indings, ha panelis s showed a highe le el o us
in EU ins i u ions han he a e age o EU ci izens. Pa icipan s we e sa is ied wi h he expe
inpu s (o e all sa is ac ion a e o mo e han 70%) (Jones e al., 2022, p. 42) and gained
knowledge e en on opics om o he panels ha hey we e no in ol ed in (Jones e al., 2022,
p. 73).
The main c i icism in he Final epo (Jones e al., 2022, pp. 77-82) conce ns he ime schedule
ha did no allow enough ime o delibe a ion: “Th ee weekends pe subg oup did no allow he
deep delibe a ion ha he opics dese ed o allow pa icipan s o se le in o he p ocess”. The
au ho s also ecommended:
- in ol ing pa icipan s in co-design and eedback loops in he o e all p ocess design
- Na owing he scope o he panels o allow o mo e in-dep h discussions
- Allowing pa icipan s mo e ime o p io i ise he issues hey will discuss in wo king
g oups.
They also emphasized ha expe s should be selec ed wi h a good mix o academic,
p o essional, and pe sonal expe ience (as was he case)
32
- Two CPs ini ia ed by g ass oo s o ganiza ions on he u u e o democ acy and on he
u u e o anspo
- One CP ini ia ed by a p i a e pe son on edis ibu ion o weal h and social jus ice
In addi ion, o e 60 CPs ha e aken place in he p o ince o Vo a lbe g. O he municipali ies o
dis ic s ha e o ganized delibe a i e consul a ions on conc e e local issues.
Aus ian Clima e Cizens’ Assembly (Klima a ), 2022
The Aus ian Clima e Assembly o ganized by he go e nmen in 2022 is he only ede al
expe ience (apa om he consensus con e ence on gene ic da a in 2003, a scien i ic ini ia i e
o ganized by he Aus ian Academy o Sciences (ÖÄW) wi h 12 pa icipan s).
Main ea u es
- Da es: Janua y o June 2022 on 6 weekends (1,5 days each)
- Venues: al e na i ely, Vienna and Salzbu g
- Ini ia i e: Fede al go e nmen ollowing a people’s pe i ion
- Pa icipan s: 100 expec ed ( esiden s in Aus ia o mo e han 5 yea s, o e 16 yea s o
age). 84 pa icipan s came
- Selec ion p ocess: andom selec ion by S a is ics Aus ia, in i a ions wi h ques ionnai e,
- Compensa ion: 100 EUR pe weekend (+ cos s o a el & accommoda ion).
- Ou come: 93 ecommenda ions
- Add essees: Minis e o Clima e Ac ion and En i onmen and Minis e o economy
(ini ia o s)
- Lea ning phase wi h expe s: yes
- Ad iso y boa d: 15 membe s
- Lea ning sessions wi h scien is s om a ious disciplines. In oduc o y eading ma e ial
sen be o e 1s mee ing. Expe s a ailable a mee ings o p esen a ions and/o
ques ions,
- Facili a ion me hod: a o hos ing & dynamic acili a ion
- Con ex : A people’s pe i ion demanding o gi e he Aus ian popula ion an ac i e say in
clima e p o ec ion measu es ga he ed almos 400,000 signa u es in June 2020
(100,000 a e eques ed o ha e he pa liamen discuss an issue). Consequen ly, he
Na ional Pa liamen asked he ede al go e nmen o implemen he pe i ion which was
done by se ing up he Clima e Ci izens’ Assembly.
- Topic and sub- opics: The main ques ion was: "Wha do we ha e o do oday in o de o
li e in a clima e-heal hy u u e omo ow?”. Fi e opics had been de ined: ene gy,
p oduc ion/consump ion, ood/land use, mobili y, housing.
CP p ocess and design
The agenda (main opic and i e sub- opics) had been se by he Aus ian pa liamen . The i s
weekends we e dedica ed o in o ma ion and lea ning. Expe s made p esen a ions and we e
p esen o answe ques ions. In o ma ion packages consis ed o ex and ideo s a emen s on
each o he i e ac ion ields. The p esen a ions included s akeholde s.
The delibe a ion and he elabo a ion o ecommenda ions we e guided by an impo an eam
o expe ienced mode a o s in plena y discussions and sub-g oups. The elabo a ion o
ecommenda ions ook place in hema ic wo king g oups. All inal ecommenda ions we e
adop ed las weekend.

33
Adop ion o esolu ions: by consen . Se ious objec ions we e documen ed in he inal epo .
(Sche hau e , Plöchl, & Buzogány, 2022, pp. 42-43)
Facili a ion: The eam o acili a o s used ools om he A o Hos ing and Dynamic acili a ion.
Sche hau e e al. (2022, pp. 33-34), who conduc ed an addi ional e alua ion, p aise he wo k
o he la ge mode a ion eam, which made i possible “ o c ea e a mo i a ing wo king a mosphe e
among he pa icipan s e y quickly”.
Ou comes: The CP p esen ed 93 ecommenda ions o he minis e s o clima e ac ion and o
economy in July 2022. A i s eply ook he o m o a epo s a ing o each ecommenda ion
whe he and how i could be implemen ed and whose esponsibili y i would be.
C i iques and ecommenda ions om he e alua ion epo s
Two e alua ion epo s o he Aus ian Clima e Ci izens’ Assembly ha e been published in
2022, he Final Repo Aus ian Clima e Ci izens Assembly, by he Vienna Uni e si y o Na u al
Resou ces and Li e Sciences (Buzogány, Ehs, Plöchl & Sche hau e , 2022) and he E alua ion
Repo o he Aus ian ‘Klima a ’ by he Uni e si y o Con inuing Educa ion K ems (P ap o nik,
Ing ube , Nash & Rodenko, 2022).
Lack o impac : The main c i ique conce ned he lack o impac . Al hough he CCA had been
o ganized by he go e nmen , he e was no hing s ipula ed abou wha o do wi h he
ecommenda ions.
Rep esen a i eness o he CP pa icipan s: “Compa ed o he public, membe s o he Clima e
Assembly we e mo e conce ned abou clima e change” (P ap o nik e al., 2022, p. 4).
F om a sociodemog aphic poin o iew, he su ey concludes ha “some pa s o he popula ion
we e missing” and ecommends “ o ind a mo e mo i a ing way o in ol e ci izens, e.g. om
mino i ies o om ce ain age g oups” (P ap o nik e al., 2022, p. 37).
The e alua o s also ackled he ac ha a i udes owa ds clima e change we e inqui ed in he
ques ionnai e bu no aken in o accoun as a selec ion c i e ion. A u he bias was induced by
he co id-con ex , wi h people esis an o accina ion being excluded.
Media isibili y: The e alua ion epo g ee ed he p esence o he media which con ibu ed o
i s isibili y. A public consul a ion online was o ganized pa allel o he CP. New ideas we e
collec ed “bu he esul s we e o e whelming in hei di e si y and mass” which made he ask only
mo e di icul o he CP pa icipan s (P ap o nik e al., 2022, p. 36).
G ass oo s’ CPs on he u u e o democ acy and on he u u e o anspo
Two CPs on he u u e o democ acy and on he u u e o anspo a ion we e o ganized by
g ass oo s o ganiza ions in 2023 and 2021, espec i ely. They co e ed issues o na ional
in e es bu did no in ol e public s akeholde s. The e was no ollow-up o hei esul s.
CP on he u u e o democ acy
- Ini ia i e: 3 g ass oo s o ganiza ions ad oca ing o ci izens’ pa icipa ion
- Da es: 18.-18.9.2021
34
- 10 pa icipan s (20 expec ed, 16 ec ui ed, 6 did no come)
- 1 weekend (1,5 days)
- Compensa ion o pa icipan s: 100 EUR
- Ou come: decla a ion
- Add essee: unde ined
- Selec ion p ocess: andom selec ion
- Lea ning phase wi h expe s: No
- Facili a ion me hod: dynamic acili a ion
The ini ia i e came om a collec i e o h ee g ass oo s o ganiza ions (Respek .ne , IG
Demok a ie, Meh Demok a ie! Ös e eich) engaged in p omo ing ci izens’ pa icipa ion. The
las one wi hd ew om he p ojec be o e i s comple ion.
The main objec i e was o ini ia e a na ional expe imen wi h a bo om-up ci izen pa liamen
and d aw a en ion o he ins umen o delibe a i e democ acy.
The success was limi ed. Only 10 pa icipan s could be ga he ed. They we e much mo e
poli ically ac i e indi iduals and in a o o ci izen pa icipa ion han he a e age popula ion,
which c ea ed a bias. The e was no lea ning phase. The main opic was e y b oad and
pa icipan s could no manage o ame sub- opics.
C i ics and lessons lea ned: An e alua ion epo o de ed by one o he ini ia o s, espek .ne ,
aises many c i ical aspec s. Pa icipan s did no eel ha hey had equal access o oice hei
conce ns. The acili a o s (in his case he me hod was dynamic acili a ion) did no succeed in
c ea ing a sa e space o each pa icipan o exp ess his/he conce ns and p oposals.
The p ojec was no embedded in a poli ical con ex . No decision-make s o s akeholde s we e
in ol ed o add essed. The e en a ac ed no media a en ion. The e was no lea ning p ocess
o igge in o med delibe a ion (Ehs, 2021).
CP on he u u e o anspo
Two yea s a e he CP on he u u e o democ acy, a second CP was o ganized by he same
g ass oo s o ganiza ion on wo weekends be ween Oc obe 2022 and Ma ch 2023, his ime
on a speci ic opic: anspo in h ee egions, Vienna, Lowe Aus ia and Bu genland. The a ge
was 30 pa icipan s. 28 u ned up o he i s weekend, bu only 17 o he second. D awing
lessons om he i s expe ience, his CP had a lea ning phase wi h expe s. A acili a ion eam
helped he pa icipan s h ough he p ocess o delibe a ion and adop ion o ecommenda ions.
They used A o Hos ing me hods wi h some elemen s o dynamic acili a ion. This ime he
pa icipan s managed o o mula e ecommenda ions, bu as no public s akeholde s had been
in ol ed in he p ocess, he ecommenda ions did no add ess speci ic a ge s and he e o e
had li le impac . Ano he poin o c i icism is again he unbalanced composi ion o he ci izens'
panel. They we e much mo e in a o o p o-en i onmen al anspo e o ms han he a e age
popula ion. Al hough pa icipan s had been in i ed h ough a andom selec ion p ocess, sel -
selec ion had c ea ed a bias. Re lec ing on his expe ience, he o ganize s es ima ed ha he
pa icipan s bene i ed om he exchange wi h expe s and om he pa icipa o y expe ience
bu we e disappoin ed by he lack o ollow-up (Wagne , 2024).
35
CP on edis ibuon o weal h (Gu e Ra ü Rück e eilung)
This CP was o ganized by a p i a e pe son who wan ed o di ec ly edis ibu e pa o he
inhe i ance om indus ial p o i s. The aim was wo old:
1. o ha e ci izens alloca e he sum o 25 million eu os o a ious p ojec s
2. o igge a deba e on edis ibu ion o weal h and social jus ice in Aus ia.
Main ea u es
- Da es: Ma ch o June 2024 on 6 weekends o 1,5 days
- 50 pa icipan s
- Ini ia i e: p i a e pe son
- Ou come: selec ion o p ojec s and “messages” (Bo scha en)
- Add essees: non speci ic
- Lea ning phase wi h expe s: yes
- Facili a ion me hod: a o hos ing & dynamic acili a ion.
- Compensa ion: 1.200 EUR o each o 6 weekends + a el cos s
- Adop ion modus: consen
O e all, he CP seems o ha e achie ed some o i s goals and a ac ed some a en ion. The
main c i iques ocused on he expe s’ choice and he lack o di e si y o hei poin s o iew.
The ime de o ed o delibe a ion was expe ienced as oo sho .
Ma e ials we e also sen be o e he sessions and made a ailable in p in ed o m a weekends.
Finally, an online space was se up whe e council membe s could download a ailable
in o ma ion. Those wi hou In e ne access ecei ed he ma e ial by pos (Ing ube , 2024).
The Cizens Council o he p o ince o Vo a lbe g
Ci izens Councils ha e no only become a adi ion in Vo a lbe g since 2006, bu hey a e also
ensh ined in he egional s a e cons i u ion since 2013. I ci izens ga he a leas 1000
signa u es, hey ha e a igh o con ene a “Bü ge a ”. Acco ding o i s websi e, he egion o
Vo a lbe g conside s Ci izens councils as “an ex ension o he exis ing poli ical s uc u es ( ha )
o e space o enable and p omo e dialog be ween poli icians and he popula ion” ( o a lbe g.a ).
Al hough we will con inue o use CP as a gene ic e m, i should be no ed ha he “Bü ge a ”
om Vo a lbe g ollows he design o a de ini e model o CP, he Wisdom Council de eloped
in he 1980’s by Jim Rough (US), which main cha ac e is ics a e:
- A numbe o pa icipan s be ween 12 o 16
- A du a ion o 1,5 o 2 days
- The mode a ion me hod o dynamic acili a ion
- no lea ning phase wi h expe s
Since 2006, o e 60 CP ha e aken place in Vo a lbe g, 14 a he egional le el, he o he s
locally.
Ini ia i e: Ci izens Councils a egional le el can be ini ia ed ei he by he egional au ho i ies
o by he ci izens, p o ided hey collec 1000 signa u es. They a e o ganized by he O ice o
Volun a y Engagemen and Pa icipa ion (FEB) o he p o ince o Vo a lbe g.
36
Ou comes: Pa icipan s adop s a emen s o ecommenda ions, which a e subsequen ly
p esen ed o a la ge audience o ci izens in a public “wo ld ca é” and in a hi d s age o a
“ esonance g oup” made up o poli ical ep esen a i es, adminis a ion, NGOs and expe s. The
esonance g oup examines he easibili y o he ecommenda ions and makes a
ecommenda ion on hem. The s a e go e nmen is only obliga ed o in o m wha will o will
no be implemen ed and why.
The Vo a lbe g “model” has inspi ed a egional ini ia i e in Salzbu g and a ious expe imen s
elsewhe e a local le el o os e mo e pa icipa ion. The ci y o Linz, in he p o ince o Uppe
Aus ia and he hi d la ges ci y in he coun y, has o ins ance se up a pa icipa ion pla o m
whe e ci izens can submi p oposals. I hey each 50 o es wi hin 60 days, he ci y will e iew
he easibili y o he p oposal and may open i o u he discussion, bu wi hou commi men
a his s age. The ci y and egion o Vienna es ablished in 2024, an "O ice o Pa icipa ion"
wi h he goal o inc easing ci izens’ pa icipa ion in p ojec s o he ci y. One example is he
Clima e Team, whe e esiden s o h ee Viennese dis ic s can submi p oposals o comba
clima e change (Bü o ü Zukun s agen, 2019; Vo a lbe g, 2024).
37
Table 2: O e iew o Aus ian CPs
CP name
model
Da e
Geog aphi
cal scope
Ini ia i e
N°
pa icipa
n s
Du a i
on
S ages
Theme
Complex
i y o
opics
Facili a ion
Ou come
Des ina i
on o
p oposal
Compen-
sa ion
Bü ge ä e
p o ince
o
Vo a lbe g
Ci izen
s´
council
since
2006,
egula
ly egional
egional
go e nme
n o
ci izens 12-16
1,5
days
delibe a i
on
adop ion
all
ele an
egional
opics
low-
medium
dynamic
acili a ion
ecommenda i
ons
public
ins i u ion No
Klima a /
CP on
clima e
Ci izen
s‘
assem
bly
Jan. o
June
2022 na ional
Na ional
pa liamen
ollowing a
popula
pe i ion
100
a ge ed
84
pa icipa
ed 6 WE
Lea ning/
in o ma i
on
delibe a i
on
adop ion
clima e
p o ec io
n high
A o Hos ing &
Dynamic
Facili a ion
93
ecommenda i
ons
go e nm
en
100
EUR/WE
Zukun s a
Demok a ie
Ci izen
s´
council
7.2020
-
12.202
1
na ional/
bu only
pa icipan s
om 5
egions
g ass oo s
o ganiza i
ons 10 2 days
delibe a i
on
adop ion
democ a
cy high
dynamic
acili a ion ideas
go e nm
en 100/WE
Gu e Ra
Rück e eil
ung
Ci izen
s´
council
3.2024
-
6.2024
na ional
p i a e
pe son 50 6 WE
Lea ning
/
in o ma i
on
delibe a i
on
adop ion
Weal h
dis ibu i
on
medium-
high
A o Hos ing &
Dynamic
Facili a ion
iden i ica ion
o p ojec s,
decla a ions
b oad
public 1200/ WE

MeDeMAP p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s
HORIZON Resea ch and Inno a ion Ac ions unde G an Ag eemen No 101094984
38
Conclusions on he Aus ian CPs
In Aus ia, CPs a e a well-es ablished ool o delibe a i e democ acy in he ede al s a e o
Vo a lbe g, bu only he e. Ne e heless, he model has inspi ed o he egional and local
ini ia i es.
The lack o di ec impac is a sha ed conce n. In some cases, he lack o conc e e
ecommenda ions would ha e made a poli ical up ake di icul ( he CP on he u u e o
democ acy was hea ily c i icized o i s lack o conc e e esul s). In he case o he Ci izens'
Assembly on Clima e, mos o he 93 ecommenda ions a e conc e e, bu he ede al
go e nmen has no commi ed o suppo ing hem.
In Vo a lbe g, he egional o local au ho i ies mus jus i y which measu es hey a e lea ing ou
and why, bu s ill, he esul s a e no binding.
Media co e age: The Aus ian Clima e Ci izens’ Assembly (CCA) a ac ed he in e es o he
na ional media “a leas un il he minis e said he e would no be au oma ically up ake o he
ecommenda ions” (in e iew wi h E win Maye , e alua o ). Vo a lbe g´s ci izens councils a e
usually well-known o he public and co e ed by he local media as hey a e pe cei ed as a pa
o he poli ical egional o local li e. The CPs ini ia ed by g ass oo s o ganiza ions we e la gely
igno ed. By con as , he p i a ely ini ia ed CP on edis ibu ion managed o a ac some
a en ion (wi h he help o a consequen budge and a la ge communica ion eam).
Facili a ion: Whe eas Vo a lbe g is an ad oca e o he Dynamic acili a ion me hod in en ed by
Jim Rough, he acili a o s hi ed o he o he CPs u ned o he A o Hos ing and/o used a
mix o me hods. The Aus ian Clima e Ci izens’ Assembly, whose acili a ion has been p aised
by e alua o s, eso ed o he A o Hos ing and some imes used Dynamic Facili a ion ools o
achie e consen . In he CP on he Fu u e o anspo , he acili a o s also eso ed o he A
o Hos ing and employed Dynamic Facili a ion only when hey an icipa ed di icul ies o
exchange.
Acco ding o he acili a o Ma ina Handle (In e iew 16.10.24), he choice o DF by
Vo a lbe g is jus i ied by he ac ha he expec ed ou comes o he CPs a e ei he conc e e
p oposals on local issues o he exp ession o ci izens' expec a ions, which do no equi e much
delibe a ion. She poin s ou ha he A o Hos ing is mo e app op ia e when ci izens a e o
engage in discussion and delibe a ion o de elop p oposals on complex issues.
2.3.2 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in he Czech Republic
OECD no es in hei Public Go e nance Re iew on Czech Republic (2023) ha al hough he e
ha e been imp o emen s in ci izen pa icipa ion, o example in he nonp o i sec o , he
coun y has no expe ience wi h delibe a ion a he na ional le el. The OECD da abase has no
eco d o expe ience wi h CPs in he Czech Republic. Howe e , se e al ini ia i es ha e been
aken o suppo he p inciples o delibe a i e and pa icipa o y democ acy.
Ini ia ed in 2021 by a collec i e o esea che s, ilmmake s, and policy expe s, he Pla o m o
Ci izens’ Assembly o ganizes he coun y's i s na ional-le el ci izens' assembly on "ene ge ic
po e y" be ween Oc obe 2024 and Ap il 2025. I s aim is o aise awa eness o he po en ial
o delibe a i e mini-publics o “ eco e us in socie y in such ools and b ing use ul solu ions o
D6.1 20241224
39
socie al p oblems” and is suppo ed by he Eu opean Council and Czech public ins i u ions
(Pla o ma p o občanské sh omáždění/Pla o m o Ci izens’ Assembly, 2024).
Two o he o ganiza ions engaged in delibe a i e and pa icipa o y democ acy p inciples a e he
Pa icipa ion Fac o y and Ago a (Cen al Eu ope), a ci ic associa ion ounded in 1998 wi h he
aim o acili a ing communica ion be ween local go e nmen s, cen al go e nmen agencies
and ci izens. Ago a CE p oduces ma e ials and o ganizes public wo kshops and e en s o his
pu pose.
Impac : No ci izens’ assembly has been implemen ed ye , bu he opic has appea ed se e al
imes in he media o a o he public e en s. I emains o be seen whe he i will each ci izens
beyond he academic and a wo ld.
2.3.3 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in Slo enia
The Inia e o Ci ywide Assembly (Municipali y o Ma ibo )
The mos no able examples in Slo enia a e p obably ci izen assemblies o ganized on a
con inuous basis o mo e han 10 yea s in he ci y o Ma ibo (Municipali y o Ma ibo ) wi h
a ound 10 ci izen assemblies in a ious dis ic s o he ci y and on ci y le el. The name o he
ini ia i e is “The Ini ia i e o Ci ywide Assembly (Inicia i a mes ni zbo – IMZ, 2024).” I is
based on in o mal g oups o ci izens whose aim i is o p omo e non-pa isan poli ical sel -
o ganiza ion a he ci y dis ic le el in he Municipali y o Ma ibo , Slo enia.
The ini ia i e was o med in u bulen imes a he end o 2012, when people we e unsa is ied
wi h local as well as s a e go e nance and wen o he s ee s. Ci il un es , which e up ed in
Ma ibo and sp ead o e Slo enia, esul ed in he esigna ions o he mayo o Ma ibo and
la e he P ime Minis e o Slo enia. (In e iew conduc ed by he Peace Ins i u e wi h membe s
o he ini ia i e).
Ci izens' assemblies mee mon hly in he same place and ha e mode a o s (ci izens ained in
acili a ion by o he expe ienced ci izens) wi h clea ules o acili a ion. The mode a o s o he
local assemblies mee egula ly a ci y le el. (Inicia i a mes ni zbo – IMZ. The Ini ia i e o
Ci ywide Assembly, 2024).
Ci izen assemblies (in Slo enian language “zbo občano ”) ha e been ins i u ionalized in he
na ional legisla ion on local sel -managemen . The law on local sel -managemen speci ies, in
A icle 45 ha “ he mayo mus con ene a ci izens' assembly i i is p esc ibed by law o he
municipal s a u e o i a leas i e pe cen o he o e s in he municipali y o in i s indi idual pa
so eques , bu he can con ene i on his own ini ia i e, on he ini ia i e o he municipal council o
he council o a na owe pa o he municipali y” (a . 45).
The g ea es achie emen o his ini ia i e has been he in oduc ion o pa icipa o y budge ing
in he Municipali y o Ma ibo in 2015. La e a ound 40 o o he municipali ies in Slo enia ha e
also ins i u ionalized pa icipa o y budge ing (ZNe wo k, 2024).
O he expe iences wi h CPs o wi h ci ilian pa cipa o y inia es
The “p o es people’s assembly” (naonwide)
D6.1 20241224
40
Du ing he an i-go e nmen p o es s in Slo enia in he pe iod 2020-2022, he p o es
mo emen o “F iday cycling p o es s” ha e o ganized se e al sessions o he “p o es people’s
assembly” (p o es na ljudska skupščina) in open public space (pa ks, squa es), mode a ing
deba es on a ious public policy issues and collec ing ci izen demands o e o ms.
Be o e he 2022 pa liamen a y elec ions in Slo enia, he p o es mo emen joined he ini ia i e
o es ablishing a la ge ci il socie y in o mal coali ion aimed a mobilizing ci izens o an
inc eased o e u nou by ga he ing and elabo a ing lis o demands o e o ms and eques ing
om he poli ical pa ies pa icipa ing in he elec ions o p o ide answe s and commi men s.
The la ge ci il socie y coali ion was named “Glas ljuds a” (Voice o he People) and has
o ganized in pas h ee yea s nume ous ac ions aimed a pa icipa ion o ci izens in democ acy,
and a accoun abili y o he go e nmen .
The expe ience o he Peace Ins u e
The Slo enian MeDeMAP Pa ne , he Peace Ins i u e, ook pa in he Eu opean p ojec
“Pa liamen o he Fu u e o Eu ope” in 2023/2024, o ganized in he six EU Membe S a es
wi h he lowes o e u nou s in he 2019 Eu opean elec ions. Each coun y panel de eloped
a se o ecommenda ions on a ious policy issues ela ed o Eu opean democ acy.
In 2025, he Peace Ins i u e will o ganize a ci izen assembly on poli ical pa icipa ion o mig an s
in he coun y and a he EU le el wi hin he Eu opean p ojec „Ci izens’ Ac ion o Democ acy"
(Ci iDem, 2024), coo dina ed by he Uni e si y o Bologna and unded by he Eu opean Union
wi hin he CERV p og am. The ci izen assemblies will be sepa a ely o ganized, in Slo enia,
G eece, I aly, Po ugal, Ge many, F ance, Aus ia and Ne he lands.
O he expe iences wi h pa icipa o y democ acy include a aining on ci izens' assemblies o
pa icipan s om Slo enia, o ganized by he NGO Danes je no dan (Today is a new day) and
conduc ed by he Polish o ganiza ion Cen e o Blue Democ acy in 2023, which ocused on
he use o digi al echnologies and he de elopmen o inno a i e campaigns o pa icipa ion.
Impac o CPs in Slo enia
In he case o he Ini ia i e o Ci ywide Assembly in Ma ibo , ci izen assemblies ha e had an
impac on local and na ional poli ics, mos ly by con ibu ing o he in oduc ion o pa icipa o y
budge ing on municipal le el in Slo enia.
In he case o he “p o es people’s assemblies” held du ing an i-go e nmen p o es s in he
pe iod 2020-2022, he esolu ions o he assemblies and he p o es s ha e been in eg a ed in
he wo k o he la ge ci il socie y coali ion “Voice o he People”. I has s ongly con ibu ed o
inc eased o e u nou a he 2022 pa liamen a y elec ions esul ing in he change o he
au ho i a ian go e nmen , and o mobiliza ion o o e s o se e al e e endums on p og essi e
policies. All o ha has con ibu ed o he inc eased awa eness o he powe o ac i e ci izens
in democ a ic p ocedu es and ins i u ions.
Media co e age: The na ional media epo ed on he Ini ia i e o Ci ywide Assembly in
Ma ibo in ew cases, mos ly a he beginning o he ini ia i e, and wi h ega d o he
pa icipa o y budge ing in oduc ion.
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2.3.4 Expe iences wi h Ci izen Pa liamen s in I eland
Since i s i s CP on cons i u ional e o m (2013-2014), which esul ed in he go e nmen
adop ing ecommenda ions on ma iage equali y and o ing a age 16, I eland has o ganized
i e mo e la ge ci izens' assemblies using he same model, ou a he na ional le el and one a
he le el o he municipali y o Dublin.
Inspi ed by he design o he Canadian CPs, which b ing oge he hund eds o ci izens o e
se e al mon hs o e lec on key social and poli ical issues, I eland's success ul expe ience has
mo i a ed o he Eu opean au ho i ies o ake he plunge. I s i s CPs deal wi h di e en ,
un ela ed issues, he la es conduc ed a e 2020 ocused on one issue, d ug use (2023),
biodi e si y loss (2022-2023), o gende equali y (2020-2021).
Mo e CPs ha e also been o ganized a a local o egional le el. The mos well-known and
possibly mos success ul a e lis ed he e below in he o de o he amoun o publici y and public
in e es ha hey elici ed.
2016-2018 Cizens’ Assembly
This Assembly was asked wi h a numbe o issues:
- The Eigh h Amendmen o he Cons i u ion
- The challenges and oppo uni ies o an aging popula ion
- Fixed e m pa liamen s
- The manne in which e e enda a e held
- How he s a e can make I eland a leade in ackling clima e change
Howe e , i was he delibe a ions abou A icle 8 in he I ish cons i u ion ha p e en ed I ish
women om ha ing access o abo ion as a igh ha ga e his Ci izens’ Assembly he g ea es
amoun o publici y be o e, du ing and a e i s delibe a ions. The Assembly ecommended ha
he cons i u ion be epealed and he e e endum ha was held subsequen ly saw he igh o
abo ion being legisla ed o he a icle denying his igh being epealed.
2020-2021 Cizens’ Assembly on Gende Equali y
Ci izens in his assembly we e asked o p oduce conc e e p oposals in ela ion o gende
equali y and o ank hese in o de o p io i y so ha hey could be ac ed upon.
The e ms o e e ence speci ied a numbe o a eas ha should be add essed, like o challenge
he emaining ba ie s and social no ms ha acili a e gende disc imina ion ; o iden i y and
disman le economic and sala y no ms ha esul in gende inequali ies; o seek o ensu e
women’s e ec i e pa icipa ion and equal oppo uni ies a all le els o decision-making in he
wo kplace, poli ics and public li e; o seek o acili a e g ea e wo k-li e balance, e c.
As occu ed du ing he Co id ime, his CP mo ed o online mee ings. The i s wo mee ings
we e held ace- o- ace, and he nex se en we e o ganized online.
Ou come: The Assembly ag eed on 45 ecommenda ions by e- o ing. Since he
ecommenda ions we e ac ion-o ien ed, hey also add essed an open le e o sha e hei
gene al iews de eloped du ing he p ocess. The le e was suppo ed by 96% o pa icipan s.
Following he CP, he cons i u ional amendmen in ela ion o A icle 41, bes known as a
simpli ica ion o “ he Woman’s place is in he Home” was ejec ed. (Sui e e al., 2021)
D6.1 20241224
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“The hos s o m a hos ing eam and dis ibu e he oles among hemsel es. Usually, you ake u ns
in he lead,” explains AoH p ac i ione Ru h Picke (In e iew, 14.10.2024).
Should he pa icipan s emain in plena y o o m small g oups? “Usually i is a combina ion, you
a y he me hod acco ding o he needs o he p ocess and he g oup: indi idual wo k - small g oups
– plena y; slow and quick me hods”. (In e iew wi h Ru h Picke , 14.10.2024)
P acce and ools
“AoH p ac ices a e designed o be cus omisable, esponsi e and eme gen ins ead o being p esen ed
as bes p ac ices” explain Mosse & Mui head (2020, p. 6).
AoH acili a o s will use di e en mode a ion echniques and ools depending on he
pa icipan s and he condi ions p esen . They may use dynamic acili a ion i , a a gi en
momen , he g oup is blocked in he dialogue p ocess. Wi h dynamic acili a ion, each
pa icipan add esses he acili a o a he han he g oup, which c ea es a sa e space o
ga he ing indi idual ideas bu does no allow o co-c ea ion o common solu ions.
Nagel (2015, pp. 202-203) men ions he wide a ie y o ools used in AoH, including collec i e
mind mapping, ac ion lea ning, e lec i e p ac ices, lis ening p ac ices and consensus decision-
making. (Nagel, 2015, pp. 202-203).
“The e’s The Wo ld Ca é (pionee ed by Juani a B own and Da id Isaacs, also in he 1990s,
ha hones p ocess o explo ing in small able g oups o 4-5 people, and hen wea ing hem
o he la ge g oup lea ning pa e n. As Juani a and Da id say, The Wo ld Ca e is abou
“con e sa ion as ac ion.” The e’s Open Space Technology pionee ed by Ha ison Owen, who
sough o eclaim simplici y and sel -o ganiza ion in how people explo e and plan oge he ,
in oking he spi i o a communi y bulle in boa d o es ablish minimal condi ions o ind
in e es ed allies.” (Wool & Co igan, 2020, p. 4/13).
A o hos ing.o g, he main e e ence si e o AoH p ac i ione s, lis s a numbe o collabo a i e
me hods such as Ci cle, Wo ld Ca é, App ecia i e Inqui y, Open Space Technology, P oAc ion
Ca é, and speci ies ha "p ac i ione s can ailo he app oach o hei con ex and pu pose”.
An app oach os e ing pa cipa o y empowe men , whose p inciples a e close o hose
o pa cipa o y acon esea ch (PAR)
“Some o he p ac ices we use speci ically enable pa icipan agency. Open space echnology,
o example, is a p ocess ha encou ages pa icipan s o sel -o ganize o se he agenda, hos
con e sa ions and ga he insigh s o b ing back o he collec i e” emind Mosse & Mui head
(2020, p. 6).
Like PAR, AoH also elies on knowledge c ea ed om he bo om up and emphasizes a join ,
i e a i e p ocess. In AoH, his happens h ough dialogical o ma s in which all pa icipan s a e
seen as equal con ibu o s. This is also he case in pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch, as esea che s
and p ac i ione s wo k oge he on an equal oo ing o de elop p ac ical solu ions.
AoH p omo es he con inuous de elopmen o dialog h ough egula ounds o e lec ion and
eedback. This co esponds o he i e a i e na u e o pa icipa o y ac ion esea ch, in which
da a analysis, e lec ion and he planning o in e en ions ake place in cycles.

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AoH, PAR and he decision-making p ocess
In AoH, pa icipan s become co-c ea o s o common solu ions. Like PAR, AoH encou ages he
con inuous de elopmen o dialog h ough egula e lec ion and eedback sessions. To achie e
collec i e esul s, AoH o en elies on consen mechanisms o make a p oposal.
In e ms o he decision-making p ocess, Co igan (2016, p. 30) ecoun s he hos ing
con e sa ions ha Uni ed Chu ch o Canada cong ega ions in B i ish Columbia had in 2009
abou hei u u e: “Dissen was held h ough pa icipa o y decision making p ocesses, including
using Like scales o make decisions. Such ools allow people o pa icipa e in a decision using a
g adien o ag eemen , and allow p ocesses o su ace di e ence and di e si y so i can be used as a
c ea i e esou ce o a g oup o a s a egic ini ia i e.”
3.3 Pe spec i es o CPs in WP6 pa ne coun ies
CPs “do no wo k in isola ion bu ake place in a b oade public sphe e and poli ical sys em“
(Caluwae s & Reuchamps, 2023, p. 248). The e o e, he MeDeMAP pa ne s pa icipa ing in
WP6 ha e e alua ed he pe spec i es o o ganizing a CP on Media and Democ acy in Aus ia,
he Czech Republic, I eland and Slo enia based on hei coun ies' expe iences wi h CPs, pas
and cu en deba es on his heme, and he socio-poli ical con ex .
The bene i s o he pa icipa o y expe ience in he CPs and o add essing an issue ha is i al
o he u u e o democ acy a e a common h ead o he WP6 pa ne s. They ha e conside ed
he espec i e add esses and he s akeholde s o be in ol ed.
3.3.1 Pe spec i es o he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy in
Aus ia
The Aus ian expe ience wi h g ass oo s CPs has no been en i ely success ul, bu he p ac ice
o CPs (mainly ini ia ed by ins i u ions) a he local le el has sp ead beyond he Vo a lbe g
egion. Gi en he ongoing deba e on media unding and he e o m o public media (a e iew
o i s s uc u e is on he agenda), no o men ion AI and disin o ma ion, i is expec ed ha he
opic o media and democ acy will gene a e in e es and ha pa icipan s will bene i om he
democ a ic expe ience, which is also a mul idimensional lea ning expe ience.
The aim o he CP on Media and Democ acy in Aus ia will be o aise awa eness among he
public and he media wo ld o how impo an i is o a democ acy o suppo di e en o ms
o media (public/comme cial/non-comme cial) and o p ese e a media landscape p o iding a
public in o ma ion se ice ha is e hical and answe s ci izens’ needs.
S akeholde s and add essees
As no new go e nmen is expec ed be o e Janua y 2025, he i s s akeholde s add essed will
be in p io i y media s akeholde s: ins i u ions in ol ed in media egula ion, media associa ions,
ade unions, media collec i es, jou nalis s and media use s, as well as o ganiza ions suppo ing
delibe a i e democ acy.
D6.1 20241224
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3.3.2 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy
in he Czech Republic
Pa icipa ing in a CP will be a new expe ience o Czech ci izens, bu g ass oo s o ganiza ions
ha e pa ed he way o pa icipa o y democ acy. The bene i s o ci izens, such as sha ing hei
iews, delibe a ing wi h o he ci izens and wo king oge he on solu ions, will be highligh ed.
Pa icipan s will also ha e he oppo uni y o lea n om expe s on media and democ acy and
on how o o ganize and manage delibe a ions on a ange o socie al issues.
S akeholde s and add essees
Rep esen a i es o 10 s akeholde o ganiza ions ha e been in i ed o pa icipa e in he
Ad iso y Boa d, whose ole is o ad ise on he ec ui men o CP pa icipan s and on hema ic
o ien a ions, and o suppo he communica ion and dissemina ion o he esul s o he CP.
The esul s o he CP will be communica ed wi h he aim o be e suppo o independen
media, be e access o he media and s eng hening media pa icipa ion (in communi y media
p ojec s).
They should be add essed o media s akeholde s, including p o essional jou nalis ic
o ganiza ions such as he Syndica e o Czech Jou nalis s, he Council o Radio and Tele ision
B oadcas ing, ep esen a i es o public se ice media (The Czech Radio Council; The Czech
Tele ision Council): media o ganiza ions such as he Endowmen Fund o Independen
Jou nalism, and also he ele an depa men s o he Minis y o Cul u e, especially he
Minis y's Depa men o Media and Audio isual.
3.3.3 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy
in Slo enia
In ecen yea s, Slo enia has de eloped a cul u e o pa icipa o y mo emen s. People a e
expec ed o ake up his “ adi ion” and eel in ol ed in he subjec .
S akeholde s and add essees
S akeholde s o be possibly in ol ed as suppo ing pa ne s a e:
- Slo enian Associa ion o jou nalis s and Slo enia Union o jou nalis s
- Academic colleagues a he uni e si ies in Ljubljana, Kope and Ma ibo
- Ci il socie y coali ion “Voice o he People”, including Legal Ne wo k o P o ec ion o
Democ acy
- Sel - egula o y bodies in media and jou nalism:
E hics council (“Jou nalis s’ Cou o Honou ”) – a sel - egula o y body o jou nalis s,
Ombudsman a public se ice b oadcas e RTV Slo enija
- Minis y o Cul u e (Media Depa men )
- AKOS – Agency o Communica ion Ne wo ks and Se ices o he Republic o Slo enia
- Communi y and non-p o i media – Radio Š uden , Oš o…
- Public se ice media – RTV Slo enija and STA – Slo enian P ess Agency
The esul s o he MeDeMAP CP in Slo enia should be add essed o he go e nmen and he
pa liamen in he pa ela ed o media sys em e o ms and policy-making; o media indus y
associa ions, jou nalis s associa ions in he pa ela ed o sel - egula ion, s anda ds, and
anspa ency, e c.; o public se ice media and communi y media in he pa ela ed o media
D6.1 20241224
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p ac ices, e hics, ep esen a ion, pa icipa ion, e c.; o law en o cemen ins i u ions in he pa
ela ed o he ule o law, e c.; o ci il socie y o ganiza ions in he pa ela ed o ci ic
engagemen , wa chdog ole, and o academia in he pa ela ed o knowledge p oduc ion, e c.
3.3.4 Es ima es conce ning he o ganiza ion o a CP on media and democ acy
in I eland
I eland is ce ainly he pa ne coun y wi h he g ea es expe ience o CPs, and a a he
success ul one a ha . WP6 Pa ne Ma y Immacula e College (MIC) could build on he popula
pa icipa o y ool o add ess an issue, Media and democ acy, ha is no o en add essed in I ish
poli ics, al hough some jou nalis s and edi o s in e iewed in MeDeMAP WP4 men ioned ha
hey su e om limi a ions.
MIC plans o ancho he ci izens’ pa liamen in he socio-poli ical agenda by using Lime ick Ci y
and Coun y as i s base. This is he hi d mos popula ed ci y in I eland and p o ides an
oppo uni y o d aw om a wide and di e se ange o socio-economic backg ounds including
hose wi h a high and a low in e es in poli ics in one geog aphic a ea ou side o he capi al ci y.
S akeholde s and add essees
The Ad iso y Suppo G oup will be comp ised o ep esen a i es o local democ acy (Lime ick
is he i s ci y o elec i s own mayo and his o ice will be in i ed o assis ); ep esen a i es o
ci il socie y and communi y g oups; an academic wi h an in e es in media and democ acy; a
ep esen a i e o he Na ional Union o Jou nalis s (NUJ) and one pe son om each ype o
news pla o m i.e. ele ision; adio; p in and online.
The esul s o he CP in MeDeMAP should be add essed o he na ional pa liamen , he media
and ele an academics wi h he aim o aising awa eness o he issues so ha ci izens suppo
measu es o p o ec jou nalism and democ acy and a e awa e o he dange s ha h ea en
bo h; and o s eng hen democ acy and in oduce legisla ion o p o ec jou nalis s in hei wo k.
Resolu ions will be b ough o he Mayo ’s O ice and he Ci y and Coun y Council which a e
he ins i u ions o local democ acy in Lime ick and subsequen ly hey will be b ough o
Oi each as Ei eann (I eland’s Pa liamen ).
3.4 Lessons lea ned and ecommenda ions
Al hough he OECD compa a i e s udy (2020) and he OECD Delibe a i e Da abase upda ed
in 2023 s ill a emp o ca ego ize CPs acco ding o he old pa e n o models (ci izens’
assemblies, ju ies, panels, con e ence o polls …) mos ecen CPs a e a hyb id cons uc ion,
bo owing ea u es om one model o ano he .
The in e na ional o ganiza ion ecognizes ha „ he p ocess o choosing and ailo ing he mos
app op ia e ep esen a i e delibe a i e model o a gi en con ex , le el o go e nmen , phase o he
policy cycle, and policy issue a hand is a c ea i e one, wi h oppo uni ies o combine ea u es om
di e en models “ and unde lines ha “i is o essence o ensu e ha all undamen al phases o a
ep esen a i e delibe a i e p ocess a e p ese ed: lea ning, delibe a ion, and de eloping in o med
collec i e ecommenda ions” (OECD, 2020, p. 62).
The concep o he ci izens' pa liamen s ha will be o ganized in he MeDeMAP pa ne
coun ies Aus ia, Czech Republic, I eland, Slo enia and Ge many (online) will he e o e
D6.1 20241224
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inco po a e ea u es om di e en models. I will ake in o accoun he lessons lea n om he
expe iences wi h Ci izens' Pa liamen s in hese coun ies and om o he cases in Eu ope. I will
also be based on a PAR app oach and on he co e p inciples de eloped by he OECD.
I should be no ed ha , apa om local CPs o sho du a ion (such as in he Aus ian p o ince
o Vo a lbe g), which a e o en only one s age o a wide consul a ion p ocess, CPs dealing wi h
complex issues include he ollowing s ages.
 A lea ning phase wi h expe s
 A delibe a ion phase
 A phase dedica ed o he adop ion o he ou comes
 A closu e
CPs di e in he ime hey de o e o each phase, he in ol emen o public au ho i ies and
o he s akeholde s, he le el o PAR, he selec ion p ocess o pa icipan s, he choice o
expe s o p ac i ione s, he acili a ion me hods, communica ion, e c.
The e a e wo main op ions o he design o he p ocess:
-Ei he ci izens go h ough all opics om he beginning, wi h he i s session(s) dedica ed o
lea ning, ollowed by sessions o delibe a ion and la e sessions o decision-making. Howe e ,
his implies ha ci izens a e di ided in o clus e s.
-O he sessions a e s uc u ed a ound he opics, including he di e en s ages o lea ning,
delibe a ion and adop ion. This is he model ha he MeDeMAP WP6 pa ne s a e wo king
owa ds, which should allow o a smoo he ci cula ela ionship be ween he lea ning,
delibe a ion and adop ion phases.
3.4.1 Cons ain s
Be o e summa izing he lessons lea n om he expe ience wi h CPs in Eu ope, i may be use ul
o ecall he speci ic cons ain s o he WP6 pa ne s in he MeDeMAP p ojec .
The cons ain s imposed by he g an ag eemen a e he ollowing: ci izens will be delibe a ing
on a complex issue; he budge is igh ; he CPs will be a socio-poli ical ac ion embedded in a
speci ic local con ex and a he same ime a scien i ic expe ience whose p ocess and esul s
mus be compa able; bo h he p ocess and he da a collec ion mus ollow a pa icipa o y
app oach.
Complex issues
The main heme is media and democ acy. The sub opics a e also de i ed om he esea ch o
he o he WPs: media sys ems, ep esen a ion in he media, pa icipa ion in/ h ough he media.
These a e complex issues ha need o be be e amed wi h he help o a guiding ques ion
(lesson lea ned om he acili a ion expe ience).
 Because o he complexi y, i is impo an o ha e a lea ning phase wi h expe s who
can p esen a wide ange o pe spec i es (and ways o dealing wi h he ques ions) o a
non-academic audience.
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A gh budge
WP6 pa ne s will ha e o manage essen ial expenses such as acili a ion, da a collec ion, enue
& ca e ing, communica ions and allowances o pa icipan s, expe s o boa d membe s wi h
almos no budge .
 Ea ly s akeholde in ol emen is essen ial o iden i y po en ial ma e ial suppo .
Time cons ain s
CPs dealing wi h complex issues usually las longe han ou days. The OECD es ima es ha
ou days is he minimum “ o allow ci izens adequa e ime and esou ces o de elop conside ed and
de ailed collec i e ecommenda ions”, especially i he heme is complex (OECD, 2020, p. 34).
“The sho e a p ocess is, he less well- hough h ough and de ailed ecommenda ions i is likely o
p o ide, since i means he e is less ime o lea ning and delibe a ion. The s ic e he design o he
p ocess, he less oom he e can be o c ea i e ideas and solu ions.” (OECD, 2020, p. 61).
The ci izens' councils o ganized by he Aus ian p o ince o Vo a lbe g las only 1.5 days, bu
hey don' include a lea ning phase, and hey mos ly deal wi h conc e e local issues, which a e
u he discussed in he ollow-up Wo ld Ca és.
The Aus ian expe ience shows ha sho e CPs on complex issues ha e no been able o
p oduce use ul ecommenda ions. The lack o ime o delibe a ion was also a sou ce o
us a ion.
 The p ecise iming o each s age o he p ocess is c ucial. Facili a ion should ensu e
apid and e icien delibe a ion and adop ion o ecommenda ions.
 Allow su icien ime o he closing session. This is impo an o he in eg i y o he
p ocess and o he psychological sa is ac ion o he pa icipan s. (Ing ube , 2024).
PAR app oach in he p ocess and in da a collecon
The ension be ween in ol ing ci izens in he design and con en o he CPs on one hand and
ensu ing e icien and imely managemen o he p ocess o deli e a esul on he o he hand
has al eady been men ioned. D6.2 will p o ide speci ic ecommenda ions.
3.4.2 Quali y c i e ia and lessons om CPs’ expe ience
How o ensu e compliance wi h quali y c i e ia? I is wo h ecalling he main p inciples
de eloped by OECD (2020) al eady p esen ed in sec ion 1.3.3.
- Ha ing a pu pose ela ed o a public issue;
- T anspa ency;
- Rep esen a i eness;
- Inclusi eness;
- A lea ning phase wi h in o ma ion om expe s;
- Sound g oup delibe a ion
Caluwae s & Reuchamps (2023, p. 244) add as pa ame e s he openness o he agenda and
he bene i s o he lea ning p ocess o he pa icipan s ( e e ed o as "epis emic comple ion").
In addi ion, o be conside ed success ul, mos au ho s ag ee ha he ou come o he CPs should
be o an "in luen ial" na u e and ha e an « impac » (OECD, 2020).

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Examples o good and no so good p ac ice will be e iewed in he ollowing sec ions in o de
o d aw some lessons o D6.2.
Ha ing a pu pose ela ed o a public issue, ancho ing he CP in he sociopolical agenda
The impo ance o he heme Media & Democ acy and he sub- opics media egula ion,
pa icipa ion in and h ough he media and ep esen a ion in he media has been highligh ed
o D2.1 by Ca pen ie & Wimme , 2024b.
E aluaon epo s emphasize he impo ance o embedding CPs in a socio-polical con ex and
in ol ing s akeholde s and decision-make s a an ea ly s age. The “ ailu e” o he wo
g ass oo s-inia ed CPs on he u u e o democ acy and he u u e o anspo aon in Aus ia
is p incipally a ibu ed o he lack o a conc e e pu pose ancho ed in he socio-polical agenda
and he lack o suppo  e o in ol ed s akeholde s.
 Se a clea manda e o he CP
 Ancho he CP in he socio-poli ical agenda. P omo e he ele ance o he CP o he
pa icipan s and o he wide public and he s akeholde s.
 In ol e s akeholde s a an ea ly s age
T anspa ency
The need o anspa ency applies on many le els, s a ing wi h he pu pose o he CP and i s
expec ed esul s. Lack o anspa ency could lead o us a ion and possibly inc ease
skep icism abou he pa icipa o y p ocess. T anspa ency should also apply ega ding he
suppo ing s akeholde s wi hin he ad iso y g oup and he ec ui men p ocess. This adds o
he legi imacy o he p ocess as a whole, as unde lined in he epo on he Aus ian Clima e
Ci izens’ Assembly (Sche hau e e al., 2022).
 Pa icipan s should be in o med abou wha will be done wi h he esul s and wha
impac he p ocess migh de elop (how and o which s akeholde s he
ecommenda ions o esolu ions will be p esen ed a a na ional le el). (See 3.3 na ional
pe spec i es)
 Be anspa en abou he suppo g oup/ad iso y boa d and any inancial suppo
 I is also impo an ha pa icipan s unde s and ha he CPs a e pa o a wide
Eu opean esea ch p ojec and gi e hei consen o da a collec ion o he in-dep h
analysis o he p ocess.
Rep esen a eness
The ep esen a i eness o he ci izens’ panel should be achie ed h ough he ec ui men
p ocess bu which ep esen a i eness? Fo a CP wi h he o ma o an audience council, i.e.
limi ed o less han 50 pa icipan s, s a is ical ep esen a i eness is o li le ele ance.
Mo eo e , he examples o small and la ge CPs in Aus ia and elsewhe e show ha e en when
in i a ions o pa icipa e in CPs a e sen o people d awn by lo , sel -selec ion dis o s he socio-
demog aphic ep esen a ion.
“Sel -selec ion bias led o ha ing mini-publics ha a e no eal mi o s o he maxi-public. Some
g oups a e sys ema ically unde - ep esen ed (younge and olde ci izens, lowe educa ed, women,
e hnic mino i ies, ci izens esiding a away om he DMP [delibe a i e mini-publics] enue, and so
on)” (Paulis e al. 2021, p. 528). To co ec he unde ep esen a ion o ce ain social g oups,
mos ecen CPs ecou se o a second call p ocess a ge ing hem ac i ely. Ano he way o
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achie e an inclusi e ep esen a ion is o “o e -sample ce ain demog aphics du ing he andom
sampling s age o ec ui men o help achie e ep esen a i eness”, as ecommended by he OECD.
(2020, p. 118).
In Aus ia, he ec ui men o pa icipan s in CPs ini ia ed by public au ho i ies has been d awn
by lo , bu his does no p e en he bias ha occu ed a he le el o he esponses, says
Michael Lede e om he O ice o Volun ee ing and Pa icipa ion (FEB) o Vo a lbe g (Meh
Demok a ie, 2020). Among he people andomly selec ed, men and olde people a e much mo e
willing o pa icipa e and young women wi h child en a e ha de o con ince e en when
childca e is p o ided. O he expe iences emphasize he bias in a o o educa ed people and
di icul ies eaching people om communi ies.
Responding o a ques ion on he ep esen a i i y o an assembly o only 12-16 pa icipan s ( he
Ci izens Council model implemen ed in Vo a lbe g), Michael Lede e eplies ha wha is a
s ake is no s a is ical ep esen a i eness bu a ce ain deg ee o he e ogenei y, which should
e lec he di e si y o he socie y (Meh Demok a ie, 2020).
This iew is sha ed by he UN Democ acy Fund: “When you nex hink ‘we need o consul he
people on his issue’, please hink abou - Di e si y o pe spec i es and li e expe iences is mo e
impo an han olume o people in ol ed. A ew hinking is be e han many shou ing: pa icipa ion
is no jus a law o la ge numbe s.” (UN Democ acy Fund & he newDemoc acy Founda ion, 2019,
p. 39).
The MeDeMAP G an Ag eemen speci ies on p. 12 ha “ he sociodemog aphic composi ion o
he ci izens’ pa liamen s should be guided by he idea o a kind o ‘audience council’ ep esen ing he
in e es o eade s, lis ene s, iewe s and online media use s ac oss a ious sociodemog aphic
g oups.”
CPs should “aim o ga he a public ha is idea ionally and discu si ely ep esen a i e o he wide
socie al di e si y” (Caluwae s & Reuchamps, 2023, p. 242).
The impo ance o aking in o accoun no only socio-demog aphic bu also a i udinal
pa ame e s in he selec ion p ocess is illus a ed by he expe ience o he Aus ian Ci izens'
Clima e Assembly (Klima a ), whose p ocess was o he wise conside ed a "success". The
pa icipan s we e much mo e commi ed o ac ion agains clima e change han he a e age,
no ed bo h e alua ion epo s. (P ap o nik e al., 2022; Sche hau e e al., 2022). Mo e
ep esen a i eness in e ms o a i udinal iews « would legi imize u he policy-making
h ough es ablished democ a ic ins i u ions. » concludes Sche hau e e al., 2022, p. 56).
 Bo h socio-demog aphic and a i udinal c i e ia, as well as inclusi eness, should be
a ge ed in he ec ui men p ocess, ega dless o whe he i is ca ied ou by an agency
o h ough calls.
 P omo e inclusi eness by co e ing cos s
 A i udinal bias in sel -selec ion can be educed by selec ing a panel o ci izens whose
a i udinal di e si y mi o s he di e si y o he popula ion.
 I he selec ion is no based on andom selec ion, he selec ion p ocess mus be
anspa en and accoun able.
 As ag eed by he WP6 pa ne s, he selec ion c i e ia will be inspi ed by he selec ion
c i e ia de ined by IULM o WP5 ocus g oups. COMMIT will p opose a ques ionnai e
model based on he wo ques ionnai es de eloped by IULM o ocus g oups in WP5
(Deli e able 5.3, pp. 9-10) and on he CU ques ionnai e o i s CP pa icipan s.
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Suppo g oup/ad iso y boa d
No all small- o ma CPs ha e an ad iso y boa d, bu he e alua ion epo s emphasize he gain
in c edibili y and he bene i s o ha ing one. Some CPs ha e wo boa ds, one o o e see he
p ocess and ano he o moni o he lea ning phase and he selec ion o expe s. In all cases, he
suppo g oup can help
- Ne wo king wi h decision-make s and o he s akeholde s
- Dissemina ing he calls and he in o ma ion
- Help ec ui expe s and p ac i ione s
- Ac as ad iso
- Gi e inancial, pe sonal o ma e ial suppo ( enue, ca e ing, olun ee s, access o
communica ion se ices)
The lea ning phase
As emphasized by he OECD (2020, p. 100), “lea ning is one o he key elemen s o a delibe a i e
p ocess. (…) Delibe a ion equi es accu a e and ele an in o ma ion, which e lec s a di e si y o
pe spec i es. Fo pa icipan s o be able o ha e quali y discussions o e a speci ic policy issue and
each in o med decisions on ecommenda ions, a lea ning s age is essen ial o any delibe a i e
pa icipa ion model”.
Fo Caluwae s and Reuchamps (2023, p. 244), “epis emic comple eness” o “how (ci izens) can
lea n abou he issues a s ake” is a key pa ame e o good p ac ice. “Ideally, pa icipan s ha e
access o all ele an in o ma ion and a e – made – compe en , wi h access o expe s on he
ques ion, policymake s and/o esou ce people.”
“P ima ily, di e si y o sou ces is key. B ead h o in o ma ion inc eases he abili y o pa icipan s o
weigh up di e en poin s o iew, bu i also ensu es ha all he oices wi hin a communi y o on a
opic a e being hea d. This is c i ical because i complemen s he di e si y o people in he selec ion
p ocess wi h a di e si y o iewpoin s in in o ma ion sou ces.” ecommend The newDemoc acy
Founda ion and he UN Democ acy Fund (2019, p. 121) in a join guidebook.
In ol ing he ci izens is ano he good p ac ice: “A he e y beginning o he p ocess and a he
end o each lea ning session be o e he delibe a ion phase, pa icipan s should be asked: ‘Wha do
you need o know and who do you us o in o m you?’” (The newDemoc acy Founda ion, 2019,
p. 121)
Despi e pe ec o ganiza ion and mode a ion, he Aus ian CP on he Redis ibu ion o Weal h
was hea ily c i icized by e alua o s and he media o in i ing one-sided expe s. Pa icipan s
also poin ed ou he lack o ime du ing he sessions and he need o pa icipan s o amilia ize
hemsel es wi h he opics in ad ance (Ing ube , 2024)
The lack o a lea ning phase wi h expe s in Vo a lbe g's 1.5-day ci izens' panels (because hey
mos ly deal wi h conc e e issues and because he ci izens' panel is only one s ep in he chain o
he pa icipa o y p ocess) and in he Aus ian CP on he u u e o democ acy has been c i icised.
Vo a lbe g is now compensa ing by sending ou in o ma ion documen s in ad ance. The second
Aus ian CP on anspo had a lea ning phase, which was seen as he mos impo an
achie emen o his CP.
D6.1 20241224
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 The pa icipan s should gain knowledge (bo h h ough he lea ning phase and he co-
c ea ion expe ience)
 Ensu e ha a di e si y o pe spec i es is p esen ed by he expe s (including
p ac i ione s) and he documen a ion. “The in o ma ion p og amme usually begins wi h an
in oduc ion o he issue, he con ex , and he diagnosis o he p oblem, ollowed by mo e
de ails abou he issue, and an explo a ion o possible solu ions” (OECD 2020, p. 101, ci ing
Ge win, 2018, p. 54).
 Expe s should ha e didac ic skills; hei con ibu ions should be sho and clea ly
o mula ed so ha hey can be unde s ood by e e yone (Handle , 2024);
 Expe s should be a ailable o Q&A sessions (OECD, 2020; Ing ube , 2024 and
Handle , 2024);
 In o ma ion packages should be accessible on he websi e (also o easons o
anspa ency) and should include di e en ypes o documen s: ex , ideos, podcas s,
g aphics (Handle , 2024).
Delibe aon
In he delibe a ion p ocess, pa icipa o y equali y and inclusi eness a e key p inciples.
“Allowing enough ime o he in-pe son delibe a ion is c ucial o achie ing he o e a ching goals o :
de ailed and conside ed ecommenda ions; building us be ween pa icipan s, and ins illing public
con idence in he p ocess and i s ou pu s.” (OECD 2020, p. 98)
Caluwae s & Reuchamps (2023, p. 247) ecommend ha he delibe a ion phase should
ou weigh he o ing phase.
O ganize s, e alua o s and acili a o s ecommend delibe a ion in small g oups. In his case,
should all pa icipan s deal wi h all opics, o a ing be ween he discussion ables o should hey
be a ec ed o sub- opics? Bo h op ions ha e been ied. I is impo an o ensu e ha ci izens
suppo he p oposals. In he case o he la ge F ench CP on clima e change and he Aus ian
CP on weal h edis ibu ion, pa icipan s had been clus e ed and some exp essed us a ion
ha hey had no been su icien ly in ol ed in o mula ing p oposals om o he clus e s. Allow
enough ime o delibe a ion and include a sho delibe a i e "diges ion phase" be ween he
lea ning phase and he elabo a ion o ecommenda ions (Ing ube , 2024).
 Facili a ion should ensu e espec , mu ual unde s anding and equal access o
exp ession,
 Co-c ea ion o solu ions in small g oup and panel discussions
 Some ools o he A o Hos ing encou age he co-c ea ion o p oposals by o a ing in
small g oups o each discussion able, ensu ing ha all pa icipan s ha e con ibu ed o
each opic.
PAR and he openness o he agenda
The deg ee o he ci izens’ pa icipa ion in se ing he agenda is a PAR c i e ion. I can be
assessed on a spec um anging om a closed agenda o a ully open agenda: “Fo ins ance, he
agenda could be ixed bu pa icipan s could also be allowed o in oduce adjacen issues, and
ques ion whe he p e-chosen issues should be on he agenda a all.” (Caluwae s & Reuchamps,
2023, pp. 243-244).
Howe e , Caluwae s & Reuchamps (2023, p. 244) wa n o a oo loose and open agenda: “The
mo e open and inclusi e he agenda-se ing p ocess, he ha de i will p o e o be o gene a e poli ical
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