@thorstensterk.bsky.socialOn 10 October 2026, the first of four citizens’ assemblies to review the COVID-19 pandemic will begin in Wolfsburg. A total of 600 randomly selected citizens are to share their experiences of the pandemic years and develop recommendations for dealing with future crises.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialHow can Pinneberg better protect itself from heat and heavy rainfall? A Citizens’ Jury has developed nine goals and 15 concrete measures for climate adaptation. Some of it’s proposals could lead to a local referendum in 2027.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialWho sets the rules for AI? @audreyt.org calls for citizens’ assemblies with a clear path to political action: someone must respond to their recommendations. AI can support deliberation - human judgment remains essential.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialA notable degree of participative democracy has firmly arrived in Europe. But to have more far-reaching impact, democratic deliberation needs to move into a radically new phase, @richardyoungs.bsky.social argues.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialThe joint civil society advisory body set up by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaderships is preparing to hold the first citizens’ assembly on the Cyprus conflict. It is due to convene at the end of 2026 or, at the latest, in early 2027.
@markfoden.com"This includes considering where performative statutory duties to consult can be revoked and how we can more actively bring the public into the policy-making process instead"
Excellent news
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialBudget policy is often considered the supreme discipline of elected parliaments and local councils. But citizens selected by lot are increasingly being involved in decisions about what public money should be spent on and where savings should be made.
@simon-brooke.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy@conunitucl.bsky.social Surely, for all the reasons set out in this essay, this is a situation where only a #CitizensAssembly with membera appointed by #Sortition will do?
@markfoden.comSounds like a citizens’ assembly will be a key part of the deliberations about UK electoral reform - a good thing
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialPeople want to live in thriving communities, where young people can grow up free from pervasive marketing, and policy decisions prioritise our health and wellbeing.
Recent Citizens’ Juries suggest there is strong public support for actions that can help create this future.
@thorstensterk.bsky.social@eu-ciembly.bsky.social releases a groundbreaking policy brief urging the EU to embed intersectionality into citizens’ assemblies, ensuring marginalised voices shape democratic outcomes.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialWhat makes people feel represented in a citizens’ assembly? A new study finds that shared political views and issue-specific attitudes may matter more than demographic similarity.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialBrussels is turning to citizens’ assemblies to fix democracy. Do they work?
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialCopenhagen is one of Northern Europe’s most visited cities. But how should tourism develop if the Danish capital is to remain attractive not only to visitors, but above all to the people who live there? This was the question considered by a mini public of 36 Copenhagen residents.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialAccording to 852 randomly selected citizens, structural change in the Saarland is also a matter of citizen participation.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialFrom Citizens’ Panel participant to Citizens’ Panel facilitator. What a wonderful story! 🥰
@thorstensterk.bsky.social97 randomly selected citizens show what the Rhenish mining region needs beyond billions in funding and major projects. The government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia must now respond to their recommendations.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialDemocracy is often told as a European invention: Athens, parliaments, elections, parties. But if democracy is understood not only as voting, but as deliberating together, a different history emerges.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialSlogans won’t slow the rapid development of dangerously powerful AI. But a citizens’ assembly representative of humanity’s diversity and independent of frontier labs and national governments could, @landemore.bsky.social and @audreyt.org argue.
@thorstensterk.bsky.socialFixing complex problems usually involves difficult, unpalatable decisions. One solution is to randomly select a group of ordinary people to debate the pros and cons and find a way forward.