Citizens’ Assemblies: an exercise in participatory democracy

A Citizens’ Assembly is a group of independently selected people, representative of the demographics of an area, who come together to reach a collective recommendation on a policy issue.

A notable example is the 2016 Irish Citizens’ Assembly, whose recommendations led to the 2018 referendum on abortion. Citizens’ assemblies are increasingly used by state and local government authorities in Australia; and last year Wellington City Council, supported by Boffa Miskell, held a citizens’ assembly about levels of service in the upcoming Long-Term Plan.

Dr Anne Cunningham, an engagement specialist at Boffa Miskell, has first-hand experience developing and facilitating Citizens' Assemblies, and says they are a particularly effective way of dealing with complex issues and decisions that require public legitimacy.

“These groups have been used in several countries in relation to controversial or divisive areas of public policy. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, similar deliberative approaches are well-used within Māoridom,” Anne says.

“An issue that involves polarised viewpoints, or conflicting expert opinions and evidence, or an emotional component is the sort of thing that a citizen’s assembly can be very effective in helping to resolve," she continues. "As the name implies, it’s a group of everyday people who will hear from a range of expert witnesses, and guided to deliberate, and come to a mutually agreed-to decision.”

A Citizens’ Assembly usually ranges from 12-50 people – a number large enough to adequately represent the population, but small enough to ensure that, over the course of the sessions, participants form connections and that all viewpoints can be heard.

Although typically convened by governmental agencies or institutions, the jurors are recruited by an independent body through a sortition (lottery) process. This helps allay the often-expressed suspicion that the folks who turn up to public engagement sessions are either people pushing their own agendas; or people with time on their hands, hoping free tea and biscuits will be on offer.

“These assemblies are usually just one component of the public consultation and engagement process,” says Anne. “The panel will meet regularly over the course of a project, so the intention is not a quick-and-easy fix or a snap decision.

“It’s about putting time and effort – and yes, money – into the process of coming to a thoughtful and well-informed recommendation that has considered myriad viewpoints and allowed people on all sides to both have their say, and to be listened to; and, often, to change their minds.”

The panel is given a specific question to answer or a clearly defined scope and asked to provide a report at the end of the process detailing their recommendations. Getting there is a facilitated, conversational approach that is structured so it leads to diversely informed, and therefore better, decisions.

“In facilitating a Citizens’ Assembly, my role is to help people talk to each other, listen to each other and expert witnesses, and get to know and understand each other,” Anne says. “It starts with a phase of working together to express all the diverse perspectives on the issue we’re addressing, and get to a place of understanding that all can live with.”

This phase includes a presentation that explains the issue and possible resolutions that have been considered so far. The conversation continues to consider the different perspectives of panel members on the problem and solutions.

Then the panel members collectively identify where expert advice might help resolve dissonance between perspectives or help fill gaps in understanding. Experts are called to inform the panel members. The deliberation continues to thoughtfully and collectively weigh up options for the future. Lastly, these decisions are co-written to explain the decisions and why they have been made.

“For me, as a facilitator, it’s a really rewarding process,” says Anne. “It can be difficult, and even emotional sometimes, because the panel is dealing with a complex problem and there are very strong feelings around the issue – that’s why the decision was made to convene a Citizen’s Assembly in the first place.

“But seeing people, who at the beginning were at polar opposites, come to a shared understanding and decision is a great outcome,” she continues. “And through the process, a group of everyday people have weighed up a very significant problem and considered how particular variables might impact different peoples' lived experience and formed a decision that they believe to be just, and effective.

“I’ve found – and international examples have shown – that kind of informed solution is going to carry more weight with the wider public, and ultimately be a sustainable outcome,” Anne says.

“We are at the beginning of exploring the usefulness of Citizen’s Assemblies – and the experience of working on them enables us at Boffa Miskell to look under the hood and consider how they can contribute to other arenas we work in – whether it be climate adaptation, controversial planning decisions, Iwi engagement, or biosecurity.”