Deliberative Democracy Resources
What is DR?
Active Democracy in times of emergency (video) - what are the novel democratic approaches we can deploy to tackle these acute and existential challenges? How can a more ‘active democracy’ break political deadlock, build civic trust and drive
Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions - OECD information document outlining several different models, key principles and trends
Deliberative Framing - review of literature on using a framing approach in DD
Twelve Key Findings in Deliberative Democracy Research - a lot of words, but interesting collation of evidence that this is a good thing
What could it be?
Politics, Trauma and Empathy: Breakthrough to a politics of the heart? Eva Schonveld and Justin Kenrick
Evolving democratic deliberation for today’s diverse societies - a process that looks to deconstruct power relationships more effectively when facilitating participatory democratic processes
How to do it
Participedia: a crowdsourcing platform for researchers, activists, practitioners and anyone interested in public participation and democratic innovations
How to run a citizens assembly - RSA resource - chapter on facilitation about half way through
Folder with several other Citizen Assembly resources
Involve - directory of methods used across many participatory and deliberative processes
Navigate have collated resources on a range of decision making processes
Experiments in empowered deliberative democracy - rather an academic article, but drawing out useful principles
Decidem - open source platform for participatory democracy
OECD good practice principles for deliberative processes
Community Assembly Manual - a do it yourself guide from Trust the People
The Facilitators Guide to Participatory Decision Making
Specific deliberation/decision making tools
Transition Networks ‘What is, What if, What next’ - similar approach to 3H
World Cafe
Open Space
Lots of 3HUni thinking resources
Online
Pol.is - people vote on statements, agreeing or disagreeing with them - but also able to add your own, which others can then vote on
Similar approaches
Community Organisers website
Community Chartering Networks website
Community Organising website
Relational-Cultural Theory Relational-Cultural theory (RCT) posits that we grow through and toward relationships throughout our lives and that growth-fostering relationships are the source of meaning and empowerment. The Five Good Things (Miller & Stiver, 1997) characterize these “good relationships”: (1) zest, (2) clarity, (3) sense if worth, (4) productivity, (5) a desire for more connection. We need connection the way we need air and water. Relationships are central to our lives, not secondary or peripheral. Self-interest is a social prescription rather than a biological imperative.
Facilitation
Trust the People - a whole facilitation course with loads of free resources and videos.
Art of Hosting methods - quick overview (with links) of methods they use
Liberating Structures: a huge resource of participatory exercise formats
Facilitation XYZ - a friendly free online resource for ALL facilitators
Toolbox: What is facilitation? Podcast
Coming Down to Earth - lots of video interviews on the theme of transformative conflict (you need to sign up for free to access them)
Difference between participation and deliberation
On Relational Facilitation: Supporting the Creative Potential of Divergent Perspectives Rosa Zubizarreta
Tripod have a treasure trove overview of other people’s resource banks
Trauma
SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach - really interesting organisational approach with lots of synergy - practical implementation from p12 onwards
Polyvagal theory - a laid back and accessible overview
Self Regulation - with the cookie monster :)
Trauma Informed Facilitation: brief checklist article
Coming Down to Earth - a treasury of recorded interviews from practitioners of diverse methods for transforming conflict. You need to sign up but it’s free
Transforming Conflict: a group relations perspective - an in depth dive into the psychology of conflict - a bit academic, but fairly readable and with the intention to be have practical applications
Evaluation
Evaluating Community Projects: a practical guide
So What, Now What reflection tool
Monitoring and Evaluation guide - from a community perspective again - longer read, but really good!
Diversity, solidarity and collaboration
Engaging Communities - module from Trust the People
Solidarity Guidelines - from Trust the People
Introduction to Mainstream and Margins - from Rhizome
Transforming conflict
Coming Down to Earth - conflict transformation conference with lots of free videos
So You’re Ready to Choose Love - a free digital (and printable) conflict resolution workbook, intended as a gift and humble offering to anyone looking for trauma-informed, anti-oppressive conflict resolution resources.
Harmful Hive Behaviour - resource of last resort from XR - principles for excluding someone from a group