Citizens’ Assemblies and Juries are already being tested as a way to let ordinary people shape climate policy, but this research asks how to make those voices stick inside government decision-making. The problem is that even well-run citizen panels often have no formal power. Their recommendations can be ignored once the meeting ends. This project moves beyond testing individual innovations to ask a harder question: what changes to parliamentary procedures, committee structures, and institutional rules would actually force government to listen? The researchers will watch real policymaking processes unfold, working directly with the UK Parliament and the Climate Change Committee, to see where citizen input currently gets lost. If successful, this work could reshape how democratic institutions handle climate governance. Instead of one-off consultations, citizen perspectives could become a routine part of how energy policy is drafted, debated, and approved. The team will also build a public resource hub and offer direct support to policy actors, extending their reach internationally through partnerships with IDEA and the International Climate Councils Network. The goal is not just better engagement, but stronger democratic structures that can sustain public trust through difficult climate decisions.
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Meeting internationally-agreed climate goals requires a strong partnership between citizens and government, and therefore strengthened and enhanced democratic structures. The first stage of my Future Leaders Fellowship successfully designed and implemented democratic innovations designed to engage citizens in energy and climate governance, including ‘deliberative mini-publics’ (DMPs, an umbrella term for Citizens’ Assemblies, Juries and Panels). We worked closely with policy actors including the UK Parliament, the Climate Change Committee and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). The renewal phase of this Fellowship will move beyond consideration of specific innovations such as DMPs, to look at the wider democratic and institutional context for citizen participation in energy and climate decision-making. Our overall research question for the renewal stage will be: How can democratic processes and institutions change to ensure that citizen voices are integrated into energy and climate governance? We will work through firstly, analysing the progress to date in embedding citizen deliberation. We will conduct two case study analyses of policymaking processes, collaborating with policy actors to analyse how decisions are made, in real time. Secondly, we will take these findings and develop proposals for democratic innovations beyond DMPs. We will ask what changes to institutional procedures and practices are necessary to embed citizen perspectives. Thirdly, we are asked for advice and resources for embedding citizen deliberation. This is why we are proposing a specific impact-focussed work package. This will include a dedicated resource hub, signposting to our own and others’ work, and bespoke support to key policy actors. We will also extend our international reach through collaboration with IDEA and the International Climate Councils Network (ICCN) to investigate comparative approaches to citizen engagement across different legislatures. Through this integrated programme of conceptual and empirical research, and partnership-focussed impact work, we will contribute directly to the development of climate strategy which enhances democratic institutions and processes.
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