Resources
The field of democratic innovation is evolving rapidly. The level of knowledge is growing from academic analysis to good practices and concrete advice.
Here you can find tools, notes and other useful information from our research or from the community.
General standards
OECD Toolbox
These 4 must-read reports contain the best standards for setting up a well-designed deliberative process.
- Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave
- Good Practice Principles for Deliberative Processes
- Evaluation Guidelines for Representative Deliberative Processes
- Eight ways to institutionalise deliberative democracy
newDEMOCRACY
Citizen Deliberation and How to Use It: A Guide for Leaders and Practitioners
This must-read handbook on ‘Democracy Beyond Elections’ is designed to show how nations can apply the principles of representation and deliberation in different contexts.
A project of the UN Democracy Fund & the newDEMOCRACY foundation.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
An introduction to deliberative democracy for members of parliament
Network & partners
Democracy R&D
International network of organizations, associations, and individuals that develop, implement, and promote ways to improve democracy, from the local to the global level.
FIDE
Federation for innovation in democracy - Europe
FIDE is a network of leading democratic innovators in Europe. We advise governments and policy-makers on how to involve everyday people in the decision-making process.
KNOCA
A European network for sharing best practice on the design and implementation of Climate Assemblies
Bureau Burgerberaad
Our partner in the Netherlands. Bureau Burgerberaad promotes impactful citizens' councils on climate, biodiversity and the energy transition
Participedia
The global network and crowdsourcing platform for researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in public participation and democratic innovations.
An open source model for crowdsourcing and organizing data about public participation. The content is generated and used by diverse networks of researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and activists.
Ostbelgien Model
Bürgerdialog is the website of Citizens' Dialogue in the German speaking Community in Belgium.
The Permanent Citizens’ Dialogue in the German-speaking Community of Belgium, C. Niessen, M. Reuchamps
The Ostbelgien Model, Institutionalising Deliberative Democracy - Bertelsmann Stiftung
Institutionalising participatory and deliberative procedures: The origins of the
first permanent citizens’ assembly, H. Macq, V. Jacquet
Set-up
How to Commission a Citizens’ Assembly or Reference Panel - MASS LBP
Should politicians deliberate alongside citizens? - newDEMOCRACY
Including the underrepresented - FIDE
This paper presents different methods and strategies applied in previous processes to increase the inclusion of underrepresented groups. It distinguishes strategies for the two critical phases of the deliberative process: recruitment and deliberation.
Sortition
How to Recruit Participants for Citizens’ Assemblies - newDEMOCRACY
How to run a Civic Lottery - MASS LBP
Citizens’ Participation Using Sortition - Bertelsmann Stiftung
Running a civic lottery - OECD
Organising a Democratic Lottery - FIDE
A detailed overview of the two-stage process, discussing the advantages of the methodology and the criteria that must be taken into consideration.
Deliberation
What is deliberation and how does it differ from usual political discussion? - newDEMOCRACY (Lyn Carson)
Follow-up & Implementation
Evaluation Guidelines for Representative Deliberative Processes - OECD
How to link CA recommandations to policy making - FIDE
Key drivers for impact - E. Rovers, KNOCA