Faced with the erosion of citizens’ trust in their political institutions, is participatory democracy the solution? The number of initiatives that are developing around the world might lead you to think so.
→ READ. “Long live democracy! “, our file
In his report published in 2020, entitled “Innovative citizen participation and
New Democratic Institutions”, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), evokes a veritable “deliberative wave”. It lists and analyzes more than 250 experiences of assemblies or juries composed of citizens, sometimes drawn by lot, around the world.
Participants are invited to gather information, deliberate and formulate collective recommendations that take into account the complexity of the strategic issues and the compromises they require.
The most innovative experiences at the local level
“Apart from decisions of an absolute urgency in international politics, no subject can escape the gaze of citizens insofar as they have the time and information necessary to manage issues and resolve very complex questions”, observes Loïc Blondiaux, professor of political science at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
From 2012, Ireland carried out three experiments with citizens’ assemblies – to revise its constitution, on the legalization of same-sex marriage and abortion. But apart from this, most state-wide initiatives, such as the institutional reform project in British Columbia, Canada, and a new constitution in Iceland, have not been followed up. ‘effect.
→ REREAD. Ireland speaks out on same-sex marriage
It is above all at the local level that the most innovative experiences are taking place. In Italy, in Bologna, the city council approved in 2014 a “regulation for the shared administration of urban commons” which introduces a change in the model of relationship between administration and citizens, promotes public-private partnerships. Since then, it has been adopted by 140 Italian cities.
In Northern Europe, citizen participation is part of the almost ordinary functioning of political systems. The parliament of the Belgian German-speaking community is at the initiative of the first permanent parliamentary assembly composed of citizens drawn by lot. Germany, much more advanced than all the other countries in this field, practices local referendums, at the level of the Länder or the municipalities, a bit like in Switzerland.
But do these initiatives have any real power to influence political choices? In reality, the budgets and the subjects submitted to the deliberation of the citizens still often remain insignificant. And when the ambition is higher, “this requires elected authorities to be open to contradiction and innovation which is still too often lacking in current approaches”, says Loïc Blondiaux. As well as a strong political will, as in the field of the environment, where 56 countries have adhered to the Aarhus Convention, which imposes the principle of participation in environmental matters.
The filter distorts the exercise compared to the promise
“The decision taken by the citizens must also be followed by effects”, recalls Valentin Chaput, co-founder of Open Source Politics, a company that develops digital platforms and leads workshops for public, private and associative actors in their participatory approaches. During the Citizens’ Climate Convention, “the proposals that came from citizens were not all selected or followed”. For him, this filter “distorted the exercise in relation to the promise ».
Another condition for success is participatory engineering. Open Source Politics uses the Decidim digital platform. Launched in 2017, driven by Barcelona City Council, it has already been used by more than a million people around the world. “One of the difficulties, during citizens’ conventions for example, is finding the space, the time and the means to bring people together and get everyone to talk, continues Valentin Chaput. By lowering barriers, digital allows more people to participate in votes and petitions. And can come in reinforcement of a democratic deepening. »
Except for the 20% of French people who do not master these tools and are therefore kept out of the process – in which, in general, mainly the most educated and well-off participate.
Is the deliberative surge irreversible?
His company, Open Source Politics, has set up the petition platforms of the National Assembly and the Senate in France, as well as the Belgian Parliament. “The petitions having collected at least 100,000 signatures over 6 months in the Senate will be studied by the parliamentarians. Two texts have reached this level: that on the separation of the spouse’s income for the payment of the Allowance for Disabled Adults (AAH) and that on the supervision of hunting, explains Valentin Chaput. Then, the work was done in committee, there was a bill and parliamentary debates. From the moment when the rules are respected, when real power is given to the citizen, there can be a change. »
→ REREAD. “We call on mayors to experiment”
Is the deliberative surge irreversible? Not so sure, according to Loïc Blondiaux: “Certainly, there is a delegitimization of representative democracy which no longer allows it to govern properly with the consent of the citizens. But it tends to come on strong. We are at a turning point, and it is not certain that participatory democracy is essential. »
