Citizens' Assemblies

Many democracies around the world have been plagued by various disturbing developments. Some of the most prominent are an increased political and societal polarisation, decreasing trust of citizens in the institutions of representative democracy and democracy as the form of the government itself, as well as decreasing voter turnout. Therefore, to ensure their longevity, democracies must reinvigorate themselves. We believe that the democratisation of democracy and a more comprehensive and frequent involvement of the citizens in the will-formation and decision-making processes by means of citizens’ assemblies could be a part of the solution. This innovative participation form offers the potential

  • to strengthen citizens’ relationship with the democratic system and thus their trust in institutions;
  • to reinforce the feeling of emancipation and thus work to counter political disenchantment, while generating new output variants and thus a new democratic legitimacy;
  • to counteract mounting political and social polarisation by addressing controversial and polarising issues.

Find out more in our study below, co-written by Prof. Wolfgang Merkel, Prof. Andreas Schäfer and Dr. Filip Milačić. Available both in English and German.

Publication

Citizens' assemblies

Merkel, Wolfgang; Milačić, Filip; Schäfer, Andreas

Citizens' assemblies

New ways to democratize democracy
Vienna, 2021

Download publication (400 KB, PDF-File)


Publikation

Bürgerräte

Merkel, Wolfgang; Milačić, Filip; Schäfer, Andreas

Bürgerräte

Neue Wege zur Demokratisierung der Demokratie
Vienna, 2021

Download publication (420 KB, PDF-File)


News and Activities around Citizens' Assemblies

18.01.2024

Kroatien testet erfolgreich Bürgerräte

FES Themenportal • Margarete Lengger

In der kroatischen Stadt Rijeka wurde das Format des Bürgerrats erstmalig angewandt. Entlang der Empfehlungen von FES Demokratie der Zukunft haben Bürger:innen Empfehlungen für eine verbesserte Verwaltung und mehr Partizipation erarbeitet. 

Lesen Sie mehr dazu im Themenportal der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.