The context
The "Deliberative wave" refers to a practice that is gaining momentum in societies and governments around the world. It aims to improve democracy by involving citizens in public policy policy-making through the use of deliberative tools.
How it is materialised
It takes the form of citizens' assemblies, which activate groups of people selected by democratic lottery, provide them with specific information on a particular issue, and give them the opportunity to deliberate on the basis of different perspectives shared by experts and representatives of civil society. Finally, the assemblies make their own recommendations to the head of government.
Citizens' deliberation strengthens and broadens democratic systems to address contemporary challenges. It helps to counter polarisation and misinformation by enabling open and transparent dialogue among citizens.
Where it comes from
The term "Deliberative Wave" was coined by Peter MacLeod of the Canadian organization Mass LBP, and popularized through an OECD report (see Highlights and Updates) by Claudia Chwalisz and Leva Cesnulaityte in collaboration with the international deliberative community and published in 2020.
The practice of the lottery is much older (it was a tool used in the first Democracy of classical Greece); it resurfaced in the 1970s, and gained more strength in the early 2000s following the organization of two Citizens' Assemblies on Canada's electoral system.