Citizens Take Ownership – Appropriation of Democratic Innovations in Three Case Studies
These innovations include mini-publics, participatory budgeting, and collaborative governance (Elstub & Escobar, 2019). They follow institutionalised rules and methodologies governing participant selection, procedures, roles, and outcomes. Such initiatives face significant challenges and unmet expectations between organisers and participants, framed by political cultures and governance approaches.
This analysis explores how citizen participation develops in the case of mini publics across governance levels, with a focus on sustainability challenges. Three empirical cases are examined: the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the Spanish Citizen Assembly for the Climate, and the Climate Citizen Assembly in Bologna. The research, based on 31 semi-structured interviews with citizens, organisers, and decision-makers, alongside policy document reviews, and analyses the dynamics of citizen engagement throughout these top-down processes.
The findings reveal citizens sometimes “rebel” and take ownership of these processes, subverting organiser-set rules. For instance, in the CoFoE, citizens imposed new plenary session rules. In Spain, participants did not agree with the organisers’ proposal for spokespersons and changed it. In both Bologna and Spain, citizens formed associations to maintain dialogue with policymakers and ensure follow-up on outcomes.
This study demonstrates how citizen engagement in democratic innovations fosters transformative action, raising awareness of sustainability issues and promoting active citizenship. It also highlights the need for these innovations to be adaptive, enabling co-production of inclusive processes that incorporate citizens’ expectations and transformative will.