Citizen participation in decision-making processes has been a constitutional right since the Charter of the Environment was incorporated into the French Constitution. Citizen participation is essential to the proper functioning of democracy, as it enriches and multiplies its day-to-day practice: by giving individuals the means to make their voices heard and to exchange their individual opinions in order to draw common lessons, citizen participation enables them to contribute to the shaping of decisions concerning policies and projects that have an impact on their daily lives.
Citizen participation enables citizens to become real players in the development of public policies. It strengthens the link between citizens and public decision-makers, and enhances the transparency of public action.
Finally, citizen participation (also often referred to as consultation) is an essential condition for the implementation of just transitions, be they ecological, economic or social. By bringing together all those affected by a decision, citizen participation brings together different points of view which, in the context of organized dialogues, help to shape the image of the general interest. It is through these exchanges that citizens gain the best possible understanding of the constraints and opportunities offered by public action. In the context of organized dialogue, citizen participation enables the people involved to learn, dialogue and co-construct a common future.
What forms of citizen participation are available?
To deliver on its promises, citizen participation needs to be organized around a debate strategy that mobilizes different methods and uses different kinds of tools. Each dialogue process must be designed, organized and implemented in a specific way, according to its own objectives.
Within the framework of debate strategies, there are various ways of integrating citizens from all walks of life into dialogue processes: workshops, participatory surveys, urban walks, which are mainly found in "open" concertations that are classic forms of citizen participation.
There are other forms of citizen participation, often referred to as "mini-publics". These are deliberative processes that bring together a greater or lesser number of participants, usually selected by lot. The aim of these mini-publics is to bring together a sample of people who illustrate the diversity of a wider population. Citizens' conventions or assemblies, citizens' juries or citizens' conferences are successful forms of mini-publics, enabling in-depth dialogues to be organized within the framework of citizen participation. Members of deliberative bodies formulate proposals by answering questions or analyzing public policy projects, after receiving in-depth information and debating with experts, players or witnesses to these public policies. The Citizens' Climate Convention is a well-known example of a "mini-public". The results of deliberative processes are then presented to decision-makers, who study them and then give feedback to participants on how their recommendations have been taken into account.
More broadly, technology offers an additional channel for encouraging citizen participation, notably through digital consultation platforms such as Jenparle, enabling many citizens to express themselves online and make their contributions.
What are the advantages of civic tech?
The creation of online consultation platforms has broadened the range of tools available for citizen participation. These platforms, such as Jenparle, add new dimensions to participation by complementing grassroots initiatives with a simple Internet connection.
Online citizen participation can reinforce grassroots initiatives:
- Enabling more people to take part in public consultations. A number of events can be organized as part of a consultation process, but they don't always take place at the most convenient time for people to take part. Often, a large number of people will not be able to attend consultation events for various reasons (lack of time, inability to travel, childcare problems, etc.). Reinforcing your consultation strategy by setting up a citizen participation platform will enable all these people to give their opinion online, wherever they are and at the time that suits them best, subject to an effective communication strategy.
- Facilitate the participation of members of a citizen's convention or any other mini-public: Access to a dedicated digital platform enables them to maintain the link between each working session, thanks to tools such as the idea box, participative mapping, the idea map... An online platform such as Jenparle also serves to centralize all documents, resources and minutes, and can store videos such as replays of sessions. In short, Jenparle is your best ally when organizing a citizens' convention!
- Online participation can also facilitate the articulation between mini and maxi publics. This involves organizing an initial consultation phase with the general public before going into greater depth with a citizen group, or vice versa: conducting an initial deliberative phase and then going further via an online participatory phase.
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