Can citizens’ panels enhance the publics perception of democratic governance?

Welcome to the home page of the DEMOVATE project!

Democracy is widely percieved as the only legitimate system of government, but citizens in many countries are dissatisfied with the way the political system works in practice. Frustrated citizens who do not see their political interests being accommodated within the current structures may lose faith in the current political system. Supporters of democracy must therefore continously reinvent the democratic process to make them sufficiently inclusive to provide structures that are considered legitimate by all groups in society.

We investigate to what extent democratic innovations, such as the Byborgerpanel, can improve the local democracy and strengthen the sense of genuine representation, and thereby increase the citizens’ acceptance of policy decisions.