Citizens' Assembly Report

Sortition-based citizens' panels have been used in Germany since 1972. In October 2024, Mehr Demokratie and the Institute for Democracy and Participation Research (IDPF) at the University of Wuppertal presented the first report on this instrument of democracy.

Until now, methods of informal, sortition-based citizen participation have not been centrally and uniformly recorded and documented. This report provides the first systematic overview of the practice of mini-publics in Germany for the period 2000 to 2024.

The diversity of sortition-based democracy

The aim of the report is to capture the full diversity of sortition-based participation. ‘Citizens’ assembly‘ is therefore to be understood here as a broad generic term for different formats such as citizens’ forum, planning cell, citizens‘ dialogue or future dialogue. What is meant here are always formats with randomly selected citizens who discuss political topics in group discussions and usually develop recommendations such as citizens’ reports.

The report provides an overview of where and how mini-publics have been held in Germany. It also takes an in-depth look at the topics of institutionalisation, special formats and the impact of citizens’ assemblies.

Your Citizens' Assembly Report