What challenges are involved? How, for example, can you ensure that the concerns and perspectives of all groups in society are as well-represented as possible?

These challenges form the core of deliberative democracy: a democracy in which dialogue between citizens is the foundation for political decision-making. Deliberative democracy is, as part of democratic renewal, one of the central research themes of Charge and an important policy focus for Volt. The citizens’ assembly is a well-known form of deliberative democracy.

A thorough overview

From September 2023 to February 2024, a research team from the University of Humanistic Studies is conducting an in-depth review study on citizen participation initiatives in Europe on behalf of Charge. The study includes European citizen participation initiatives described in the scientific literature over the past ten years. It also incorporates “grey literature,” such as policy documents and government reports.

At present, such an overview is lacking, despite the many advantages it could offer. A thorough overview could provide starting points for further research and yield recommendations for the design of citizen participation initiatives. The report will therefore be valuable for both further research and governance practice. The results are expected to be relevant not only for Volt Netherlands and Volt Europe but also for other political parties and the broader field of citizen participation.

Success factors

To understand and compare the various initiatives, the researchers identify success factors within the three phases of democratic processes: input, throughput, and output. The input phase concerns the participants, goals, and themes of the initiatives. Throughput focuses on the steps from deliberation to decision-making, and output includes the results and follow-up actions. This categorization also helps resolve conceptual confusion, such as distinguishing between an assembly and a forum.

Volt representatives are directly involved at an early stage in group consultations with our research team. These consultations closely examine experiences with citizen participation, map out knowledge gaps, and identify known challenges. This ensures that the project report aligns seamlessly with the practical needs of representatives at all levels of governance within Volt.

In January 2024, a symposium was held during Volt’s members’ congress, where the research team engaged in discussions with Professor Frank Hendriks, Professor Annelien de Dijn, and Member of Parliament Marieke Koekkoek.