Expanding the Use of Citizen Assemblies and Panels at the National, Regional, and Local Levels

Around the world, governments are turning to long-form deliberative processes like Citizens’ Assemblies, Reference Panels, and Citizens’ Juries to decide important matters of public policy. In Madrid, randomly selected residents now play a role in helping to shape their City Council’s agenda, and to review proposals from the online platform Decide Madrid. In Ireland, Citizens’ Assemblies have broken constitutional deadlocks and guided parliamentarians through a national debate on climate change and reproductive choice. In Canada, more than 1,500 randomly selected residents have served on dozens of Reference Panels advising governments on a range of policy issues from digital privacy, to transportation investment, to cancer care. New deliberative strategies are helping to turn the populist tide by working alongside elected bodies to restore confidence and legitimacy. This session will examine the future of democracy and what other jurisdictions can learn as Canada, Ireland, and Spain develop a more inclusive approach to public governance.