Assessing the #DelibWave in the UK: A report on the impact of Citizens’ Assemblies in British Government

Abstract

Citizens’ Assemblies (CAs) are groups of 40-150 randomly selected citizens, representing a cross-section of the community, who come together to discuss a complex and contested political issue. CAs have emerged as a new and exciting innovation within British politics. They offer the opportunity to engage citizens and create solutions to some of the most challenging policy issues. This report outlines key findings from a comprehensive audit of the recent proliferation of these events across the UK and their impacts on politics and policy.
- A distinct UK blueprint for democratic innovation has emerged: CAs operate within a consistent framework, cemented by the support of charities that help to organise many of the events across the UK. These charities ensure that a clear organisational blueprint of CAs is achieved whilst similarly enabling academics and experts to adapt each event to facilitate the various demands of each unique issue.
- The #Delibwave has had significant impact on public debate about British democracy: The unmistakable increase in the use of CAs in Britain has led key actors in Parliament and the media to take notice of the effects that these participatory processes can have. The number of mentions of CAs within Parliament has dramatically risen since 2015. A similar pattern can also be identified from the number of mentions of CAs in the news and media. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis initially halted some of this momentum, but innovative champions in the democratic sector have successfully moved many activities online.
- Tangible impact on policy outcomes remains piecemeal and partial: Despite the contributions which CAs have made towards public debate, the impact on public policy has been limited. The recommendations of CAs that are delivered to government commissioning bodies are not yet reflected in policy action.
In response to these findings, we recommend taking several steps to consolidate the progress made in the #Delibwave and to enhance capacity for tangible impact on policy outcomes.
1. Increased attention requires continued investment in robust methods: To maintain that the rigorous processes are upheld, CAs must continue to receive investment and commitment. This ensures that the processes remain robust to outside challenges or influence – something that only increases as they gain visibility in public debate.
2. CAs need buy-in from a diversity of stakeholders: Support from across the political spectrum, and from key stakeholders on the relevant issue, are crucial.
3. There is a need to clarify the goals of CAs in advance, and connect them to deeper and broader forms of democratic participation: To create a wholly successful CAs, the event must be provided with a clear remit in which its recommendations can lead to concrete action. Without this, the work and outcomes of an assembly can fall upon deaf ears.
4. Evaluating long-term impacts on policy development will help to stave off criticisms about tokenistic engagement: The structural processes of the assembly should also be tracked, with the outcomes and actions of commissioning bodies being followed to ensure accountability after the event. This success will be seen to empower their citizens, giving them clear channels of political engagement in which they can make real political changes for the future.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Roger Tyers: orcid.org/0000-0002-0187-0468

ORCID for John Boswell: orcid.org/0000-0002-3018-8791

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