How does deliberative democracy work – in theory and in praxis? How does random selection benefit a participatory process? What does participatory budgeting do? We present and discuss interesting approaches, methods, cases and guidelines for solving democratic challenges and setting up participatory processes.

© Sebastian Pfütze
Building a citizen-centred Europe - Taking stock of the “Democracy and Participation in Europe” project
For us, strengthening citizen participation on the European level was the priority. We worked with the European Parliament, European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, EU member states and many foundations, NGOs and think tanks. We organized, facilitated, and were involved in 54 citizens dialogues with 3,417 citizens from all 27 EU member states. We applied and promoted random selection, simultaneous interpretation, and other innovative methods for inclusive, deliberative, and effective citizen participation. We analysed the participatory infrastructure of the EU. We observed and contributed to the Conference on the Future of Europe. And we delved into case studies, methods, and tools from Ostbelgien to Taiwan.
Our work resulted in 73 published formats from books to policy papers to short films in several languages. Here, we are taking stock of our project and taking the opportunity to give you a closer look of the cornerstones of our work.
Basics, methods, and cases of deliberative democracy
Deliberative Democracy
The shortcut “Deliberative Democracy. More than just voting” describes what deliberative democracy means, how it functions in practice and what added value it has.
Shortcut 1 - Deliberative democracy: More than just voting
Shortcut 1 - Deliberative Demokratie: Mehr als nur wählen
Random selection
Our shortcut shows how random selection for citizen participation works and gives an overview of good examples.
Citizens participation using sortition
The guide provides an overview and examples of what sortition is, which different processes are available, when which process is best suited, how to carry out the processes, and what they cost.
The Irish Citizens’ Assembly
Our SHORTCUT explains the worldwide trailblazer in citizens´ participation, the Irish Citizens’ Assembly. It shows, how good citizens´ participation can lead to concrete changes in law and politics.
Shortcut 3 - Small country, big innovation The Irish Citizens‘ Assembly
Shortcut 3 - Kleines Land, große Innovation Bürgerversammlung in Irland
The French Citizens’ Assembly on climate change
The SHORTCUT gives an overview of the French Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, how it worked and how the results influenced the decision making process in France.
Shortcut 4 - French Citizens' Convention on Climate
Shortcut 4 - Der französische Klima-Bürgerrat
Participatory budgeting
Our SHORTCUT shows how participatory budgeting is done, shows good practice and an overview of its hurdles and opportunities.
Shortcut 6 - Participatory budgeting
Shortcut 6 - Bürgerhaushalt und Bürgerbudget
The "East Belgium” model for permanent citizens´ assemblies
Our SHORTCUT shows via the “East Belgium” role model, how permanent citizens' assemblies can go hand in hand with representative democracy.
Shortcut 7 - The Ostbelgien Model
Shortcut 7 - Das Ostbelgien Modell
The ten principles for enhancing the quality of citizens’participation
This guide provides you with ten principles for enhancing the quality of citizens’ participation and additional material for carrying out citizens’ participation on all political levels.
Enhancing the Quality of Citizens’ Participation
Qualität von Bürgerbeteiligung
Practical hints for inclusive, deliberative and effective citizen participation
Here you can find more than 30 items of practical material—such as guidelines, templates and examples—for carrying out citizen participation.
Practical hints for inclusive, deliberative and effective citizen participation
Praxishilfen für inklusive, deliberative und wirksame Bürgerbeteiligung
Democracy R&D Annual Conference 2022 - Documentation
Here you can find the results and recorded sessions of the Democracy R&D Annual Conference 2022.
Short film, pictures, outcomes of workshops
Deliberative democracy is the talk of the town
Bürgerbeteiligung boomt weltweit
Deliberative Committees
Our ninth SHORTCUT edition deals with a new form of direct interaction between citizens and parliamentarians: Deliberative Committees (on the website also available in French).
Shortcut 9 - Deliberative Committees A new approach to deliberation between citizens and politicians in Brussels
Shortcut 9 - Deliberative Parlamentsausschüsse Eine neue Form der Zusammenarbeit von Abgeordneten und Bürger:innen in Brüssel
Shortcut 9 - Les commissions délibératives
Digital participation
How does Taiwan's Join platform work? How can municipalities digitally involve citizens in a simple and practical way? How digital was the Conference on the Future of Europe? In several studies and pilot projects, we have dealt with the opportunities and challenges of digital citizen participation and have developed and tested new and innovative forms of digital participation.
Digital Democracy in Taiwan
Results of the online conversation with Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan, on Taiwan´s digital innovations in response to the Covid crisis (September 7, 2020).
Digital Citizen Dialogues for Local Democracy
Documentation and concept: The Bertelsmann Stiftung developed the concept "Digital Citizen Dialogues in Times of Corona" and implemented it in cooperation with ten pilot communities. [German]
Digitale Bürgerdialoge - Eine Chance für die lokale Demokratie
EU Commission Vice-President Jourová on digital participation
Documentation of our discussion with participation pioneers and EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová about how digital participation should look like.
Online Dialogue. The Digital Way to EU Citizen Participation: The Conference on the Future of Europe and beyond
EU-Kommissionsvizepräsidentin Věra Jourová über digitale Partizipation in Europa
Transnational citizen dialogues
How can citizens from different countries and different languages come together and discuss results-oriented - face-to-face and in a digital way? We designed, tested and evaluated several international and multilingual citizens dialogues. Learn more about our approach, methods and the outcomes in our publications and videos.
Videos from Citizens' Dialogs in The Hague and Passau
Videos of the EU Citizens' Dialogue in The Hague and Passau with randomly selected citizens from different countries.
Video Citizens Dialogue in The Hague
Video Citizens Dialogue in Passau
Transnational Citizens' Dialogues
Our SHORTCUT shows how Transnational Citizens' Dialogues with randomly selected citizens work, both as physical and digital events.
Shortcut 5 - Transnational Citizens’ Dialogues
Shortcut 5 - Transnationale Bürgerdialoge
Cross-border EU Citizens’ Dialogues
Evaluation of three innovative cross-border EU Citizens’ Dialogue in Frankfurt/Oder, Passau and The Hague, carried out by the EU Commission and the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
New ways to increase citizens’ participation in Europe
Neue Wege für mehr Bürgerpartizipation in Europa
Digital cross-border EU Citizens’ Dialogue
Evaluation of the first fully digital cross-border EU Citizens’ Dialogue carried out by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the European Commission (27 and 30 October 2020).
Trinational Citizens' Dialogue
Evaluation and documentation of the trinational Citizens' Dialogue of the Basel Euroregion on 12 October 2020, dealing with the Covid Crisis. (in German and French)
Digitaler Bürgerdialog - Trinationaler Eurodistrict Basel
Citizens' Dialogue in The Hague
European border regions in a Citizens’ Dialogue
Instruments and infrastructure for EU citizen participation
A resilient European democracy requires meaningful citizen participation. The European Union (EU) has a plethora of participation instruments at its disposal. Elections, citizens’ initiatives, consultations, petitions, and dialogues – citizens can participate in EU politics in various ways. But how well do the existing instruments really work? Learn more about the participatory infrastructure of the EU, the possible institutionalising of European Citizens’ Assemblies, individual instruments and existing gaps in our studies, policy briefs and podcast.
The reform of the European citizens’ initiative
Our policy brief gives an overview of the reform process and recommendations for more public awareness of the instrument.
Policy Brief 2/2018 - More Initiative for Europe’s Citizens
The European Citizens' Initiative and the Youth
Our policy brief shows why not lowering the age required to participate from 18 to 16 would be a missed chance for the EU.
Policy Brief 5/2018 - The Reform of the European Citizens' Initiative: Not for the Youth?
Institutionalising European Citizens’ Assemblies
Together with leading EU Democracy experts we introduce a model for the institutionalisation of European Citizens’ Assemblies. It is based on the experience of the Conference on the Future of Europe and is a format that effectively integrates European Citizens’ Assemblies into EU decision-making.
Next level citizen participation in the EU: Institutionalising European Citizens’ Assemblies
Citizen Participation in the EU
Our comprehensive empirical study analyses seven EU participation instruments, among others the EU elections, the European Citizen Initiative, public consultations, petitions and the European Ombudsman.
Under Construction – Citizen Participation in the European Union
Europa fehlt eine funktionierende Infrastruktur für die politische Beteiligung der Bürger:innen
The participatory infrastructure of the EU
Our policy brief analyses the EU’s participatory system.
Policy Brief 01/2022 - The Missing Piece: A Participation Infrastructure for EU Democracy
Podcast: Citizen Participation in the EU
We discuss how citizens can participate in the development of the European Union. (in German)
Conference on the Future of Europe
The Conference on the Future of Europe was a citizen-led series of debates and discussions. In this first-of-a-kind pan-European democratic exercise, citizens from all across Europe were sharing their ideas on how to shape the future of Europe. How did it work, what can be learned and what happens with the results? In our studies, policy briefs and the video format Conference Observatory we discuss this exciting experiment in depth and show new ways how to institutionalise citizens participation on the European level.
The Conference on the Future of Europe
Our policy brief analyses the beginnings of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Conference Observatory
The report by our High-Level Advisory Group analyses the Conference on the Future of Europe and draws conclusions for the future design of European Citizens Assemblies. (Conference Observatory)
Going ahead: recommendations for the EU’s Conference on the Future of Europe
Da geht noch was: Empfehlungen für die Konferenz zur Zukunft Europas
Local citizens dialogues for the Conference on the Future of Europe
The evaluation report provides insights into the processes, the assessment and the results of citizens' dialogues from 23 cooperation projects in 67 European cities and regions.
Europe Up Close
Europa ganz nah
L’Europe tout près
Institutionalising European Citizens’ Assemblies
Together with leading EU Democracy experts we introduce a model for the institutionalisation of European Citizens’ Assemblies. It is based on the experience of the Conference on the Future of Europe and is a format that effectively integrates European Citizens’ Assemblies into EU decision-making.
Next level citizen participation in the EU: Institutionalising European Citizens’ Assemblies