Citizen engagement processes in democracies are regularly criticized for only involving ‘the usual suspects’: people from broadly similar, usually socio-economically advantaged, backgrounds. This means parliaments are less likely...
Parliaments are both spaces and places. As spaces, they are collections of rooms, halls, offices and grounds that are used for particular purposes. As places, they mean something to the people they represent – but they don’t mean...
Deliberative methods are increasingly a source of inspiration for those who seek to redress the global trend of deepening dissatisfaction in democracy. Such methods offer parliaments the opportunity to engage citizens in rigorous...
Public consultation is essential to ensuring that parliaments’ decisions meet the needs of the societies they represent. In democracies, citizens have the right to a say on decisions that affect them. On a more instrumental level...
Parliaments are fundamental to democracy, but it is often difficult to understand how they work. Parliaments have a responsibility to provide opportunities for citizens across different groups in society to learn about what their...
Youth engagement is key for a healthy democracy. Young people are the future generations that will lead our democracies. They are also often amongst the most disengaged people of our societies. It is therefore a democratic...
Petitions and citizens’ initiatives (CIs) are the most prevalent participation tools offered by parliaments. They provide a formal mechanism for citizens to raise issues directly to decision-makers in parliament and government and...
There is an increasing understanding among parliaments that their relationship with citizens needs to go beyond the ballot box. With trust in institutional politics declining around the world, public engagement is an essential...
The Youth Parliamentary Academy (YPA) Toolkit is a practical guide developed by International IDEA under the Inter Pares | Parliaments in Partnership programme, funded by the European Union. It is designed to help parliaments plan...
A growing number of parliaments are engaging with civil society organisations to better inform, include and involve citizens in their work. They do so in a shared effort to build strong, effective and representative parliamentary...