Research shows that people have become more and more disenchanted with the traditional institutions of representative government, detached from political parties, and disillusioned with old forms of civic engagement and participation. In response, in recent years there has been growing interest not only in increasing participation, but also in the quality and form of the engagement between citizens through the use of direct, deliberative and participatory democratic mechanisms. It is argued that if the decision-making process is inclusive and dialogue between citizens is unconstrained, it will lead to greater understanding of different perspectives, more informed debate and decisions that are widely accepted by participants.
WHAT IS A JURY OF CITIZENS?
A citizens` jury can be described as a tool that brings together a small group of citizens who deliberate on a particular issue and produce recommendations in the form of a written report. The ultimate aim of this jury is not to usurp the decision-making power of elected officials but rather to ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of public opinion when they exercise that power.
WHAT IS PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING?
It involves an annual cycle of three levels of citizens participation: popular assemblies; district budget forums; and a municipal budget council. In the spring of each year, popular assemblies are held in each of the city`s districts. At this meeting participants vote on the priority issues for investment in the city as a whole and elect delegates to district budget forums. The delegates work together with the city administration to translate neighbourhood priority lists into an overall list of investment priorities.
WHAT IS A ASSEMBLY OF CITIZENS?
A citizens`s assembly is a deliberative innovation that brings together a ramdomly selected group of citizens to deliberate on a policy issue and develop recommendations on it. A wide variety of issues such as electoral systems, education, health, transport and telecommunications may be discussed. Assemblies can take place at a national or local level. For example: The British Columbia Assembly was set up in 2004 to investigate electoral reform and recommend an electoral system for the province. It contained 160 randomly selected citizens and divided its work into three phases. In the first phase, the assembly spent a number of weekends learning about electoral systems. The second phase involved gathering evidence from citizens at public meetings held throughout the province and from written submissions. The third phase saw the citizens deliberating with one another on the advantages and disadvantages of differents systems, before taking a final vote on the option.
WHAT IS AN INITIATIVE?
An initiative allows citizens to propose a legislative measure or a constitutional amendment, if they are able to submit a petition with the required number of citizens signatures. It is a form of direct democracy. The initiative embodies the simple idea that ordinary citizens should have the right to propose and pass laws without the consent of their elected representatives. This democratic device has been seen by many to strengthen democracy. It involves the citizens more in policies that are important to them and makes the political system more accountable, transparent and efficient. The indirect initiative can strengthen the link between the people, their parliament and the executive. Under the direct initiative, a measure is put directly to a vote after being submitted by a petition. Under indirect initiatives, a proposal is initially referred to the legislature; where can be improved, adapted or rejected, it can then be put to a popular vote. However, this can only happen once further signatures have been collected.
